Unbreakable Bond
by TheLastReckoning
Summary: Once in a lifetime, you'll meet someone who ignites a fire in you. A fire that cannot die. A story of Commander John Shepard's and Tali'Zorah's relationship, starting as a friendship and eventually becoming a romance. Covering Mass Effect 2 & Mass Effect 3. [Completed.]
1. Chapter 1: The Normandy is Lost

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is my fanfiction about the relationship between Shepard and Tali, spanning Mass Effect 2, 3, and beyond. I'll be taking some artistic license with the story of ME2 and ME3, specifically the ending of ME3. I couldn't stand the ending, so I had to make my own. Everything that happens after the games will be my own ideas. Hope you enjoy!**

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The SSV Normandy SR-1 came out of it's mass relay jump in the Amada system of the Omega Nebula, and began searching for any pockets of geth resistance. The Normandy's pilot, Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau, reported that the ship had exited the jump and the stealth systems were active. A month after the Battle of the Citadel, Commander John Shepard had been ordered by the Council to clean up any areas where remaining geth had been sighted. The Councilors wanted to convince the populace that the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and his geth armies had been completely defeated. The Council made the obvious choice of sending the most advanced stealth ship in Citadel space to conduct the searches, in order to avoid any other ship being spotted.

A blip appeared on the ship's long-range scanners shortly after exiting FTL. The ensign operating the scanners reported an unidentified vessel, cruiser class.

"Doesn't match any known signatures", Joker noted.

The ensign announced the ship had moved to an intercept trajectory. Navigator Pressly was incredulous, no ship should be able to detect them. Joker initiated evasive maneuvers just as the unknown ship fired its massive particle beam. Though Joker tried his best to avoid the beam, it made contact with the bridge of the Normandy. Pressly was killed in the explosion, as was the ensign that initially alerted them. Joker struggled to maintain control of the rapidly deteriorating situation, but that proved increasingly difficult as the Normandy took successive hits.

Explosions rocked the ship as fire engulfed most of the lower levels. Commander Shepard was on the crew deck, readying the distress beacon for launch. He knew the situation was dire, the Normandy was in terrible shape and had no ability to fight back in the state she was in.

 _We're going to have to abandon ship_ , he thought.

He quickly gave the order for all crew members to go to their designated escape pods. Liara ran up to him, she had barely made it through the blasts that had killed numerous other crew members. He turned to her and ordered her to make sure everyone on this level made it into the pods.

"I'm going down to check engineering, and then I'll go to the bridge. I'll make sure everyone is off the Normandy before I leave", he said, the nerves he was feeling were absent from his voice.

He had a nagging feeling to make sure Tali got off the ship safely. It puzzled him why he wanted to make sure she specifically got off. Obviously he cared about her, as he did with everyone aboard the Normandy. But for some reason he had the urge to be sure she got away.

Liara yelled back, over the sound of fire and alarms, "Joker is refusing to abandon ship!"

Though he wasn't surprised, Shepard was frustrated that Joker didn't realize the situation was hopeless. Just then the Normandy took more hits from the unknown ship, and wasn't going to stay intact as long as he had previously hoped. He had to make a decision right then; make sure Tali got away safely, or save Joker. Shepard realized the ship wouldn't hold together long enough for him to do both. He pushed aside his irrational urge to make sure Tali got off the ship. As much as he cared about her, he knew Chief Engineer Adams was a capable crew leader.

 _Adams wouldn't risk anyone's life trying to save the ship,_ he thought, _he would've obeyed the abandon ship order and made sure everyone in his section got off._

He pictured her in his mind, her bright, friendly eyes and warm smile visible through her visor. He snapped back to reality.

"I'll handle Joker, just make sure everyone on this level gets off", he ordered. Liara nodded and left.

Shepard made his way to the cockpit as quickly as he could, his progress impeded by fire, explosions, and large chunks of the ship's hull missing. He could hear Joker attempting to send a mayday call to any ship in range. Unfortunately, only a few high ranking officials knew of their mission, and even fewer knew their location. Shepard made it to the Combat Information Center, only to see a gaping hole in the hull. He activated the magnets in his boots, and stepped passed the containment field into the vacuum of space.

 _Thank God this combat armor is airtight_ , he thought as he slowly trudged passed the galaxy map.

Shepard noticed chunks of the Normandy floating in space, having been sheared off by the enemy ship's particle beam. The sight was hard to take in, seeing the ship he loved being torn apart, and he was helpless to stop it. The Commander had some great memories on the Normandy, and he didn't want to see her go out like this. His mind began to drift, reminiscing about old memories on the ship. Cracking jokes with Joker in the cockpit, his little secret rendezvous with Liara in his cabin before their mission on Ilos, his conversations with Tali near the drive core. Shepard's mind lingered specifically on his time spent with her. Their talks about quarian culture, the way he could tell she blushed when he teased her, and her eyes. Those inviting, comforting eyes. Shepard snapped back to reality again as he stepped through the other side of the containment field, finally reaching the cockpit.

Joker was still sitting at the helm, desperately trying everything he could think of to save the Normandy.

"Come on Joker, we have to get out of here!", Shepard yelled as he grabbed Joker's arm.

"No!", Joker yelled back, ripping his arm free from Shepard's grip, "I won't abandon the Normandy, I can still save her!"

Shepard pleaded with Joker, "The Normandy is lost, going down with the ship won't change that."

He prayed that Joker would see the futility of trying to save the ship at this point. Joker wasn't just his pilot, he was his friend, and he had already lost too many friends today. He wouldn't lose another.

Joker finally relented, "Yeah, okay. Help me up."

Shepard could tell this was a tremendously difficult decision for Joker. Abandoning the Normandy was difficult for him too, but there wasn't any other choice. He helped Joker up and placed him in the last remaining escape pod. Before Shepard could enter, the enemy ship's beam tore through to cockpit, cutting between him and the pod. He jumped back to avoid being incinerated, and seeing no other option, he hit the button to jettison Joker's pod. Joker yelled for Shepard to get in, but the blast doors closed and he was away.

A massive explosion tore through the cockpit, flinging Shepard forcefully back into a beam and out into space. His back screamed in pain, he could tell it was most likely broken. Shepard watched as what was left of the Normandy exploded around him, shrapnel puncturing the seals of his combat armor. Once the blast had passed, Shepard could hear the pressure being released from the holes in his armor. He thrashed around, trying desperately to cover the numerous holes. Before long, all the air had escaped, and Shepard started to suffocate. He gasped for air and found none, and slowly the scene around him faded to black. Shepard's body slowly began to fall into the nearest planet's atmosphere, along with the pieces of his beloved ship.

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 **Author's Note: Some of the quarian cultural elements or Khelish phrases not present in Mass Effect canon were borrowed from Calinstel's "To Survive" series.**


	2. Chapter 2: Tali's Grief

Tali sat in the dark escape pod, illuminated only by a dim red light. The adrenaline from her escape from the Normandy was beginning to wear off. Her mind began to wander.

 _I wonder how many others made it out_ , she thought.

She was in a pod with Chief Adams and a few other engineers. Just like Commander Shepard assumed, Adams had performed remarkably given the circumstances. He and the crew tried their best to keep the Normandy running as long as possible, but immediately obeyed the evacuation order when it came. Nobody said a word in the pod, everyone trying to process what had just happened. The Normandy, their home away from home, had just been destroyed. Nervousness set in, and Tali began wringing her hands. Her mind raced through all the possible outcomes of their situation.

 _What if the Alliance can't find us? How long can we survive out here? Did Shepard make it out?_

Her mind lingered on the Commander. She hoped everyone had made it out of the wreckage, but she hoped he made it out alive the most. He had always treated her with respect, which was abnormal behavior towards quarians. Most people were wary of quarians, and they had a reputation for thievery. Shepard was different though. If he had ever been wary of Tali, he didn't show it through his actions. That kind of attitude toward her had immediately gained Shepard her respect. Not only did he respect Tali, but he allowed to serve aboard the Normandy. Allowing a quarian to serve aboard a non-quarian ship was almost unheard of. Tali had been in awe of the ship's drive core, and cherished the opportunity to work on it. As if that wasn't enough, Shepard also allowed her to have a copy of classified data on geth evolution to use as a pilgrimage gift. Tali couldn't think of a more valuable gift, and he gave it to her without any reservations.

Shepard and Tali had become friends almost immediately. He would come down the the drive core to talk with her often. The Commander would make sure the rest of the crew was treating her right, ask her about quarian life and culture, and also seemed genuinely interested in hearing about her. Talking about herself always made Tali nervous, especially around non-quarians. Something about Shepard calmed her nerves however, and she always felt more comfortable when she was around him. She had accompanied him on countless missions because of her tech expertise, and saw how Shepard wholeheartedly cared about the safety and well-being of those under his command. Sometime during her time aboard the Normandy, Tali had developed a deep romantic interest in Shepard. She had been rescued from an ambush on the Citadel Wards by a dashing and heroic commander, who invited her to join him on his quest to save the galaxy. How could Tali not develop feelings for him? She never told him though, every time she thought of bringing it up during conversation her anxiety would run wild. Tali convinced herself that Shepard only saw her as a valued crew member and close friend, nothing more. Her feelings for him never lessened, though. If Shepard hadn't survived the Normandy's destruction, she would never be able to tell him how she really felt and see if he felt the same way.

Tali's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Joker's voice on the pod's short range transmitter.

"This is Joker", the familiar voice said, "how many other pods escaped?"

Liara checked in, and reported who was in her pod. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko did the same with his pod, as did Adams and the rest. An eerie silence fell over all the pods, one name in particular was missing from everyone's count.

Finally breaking the silence, Kaidan's voice came over the transmitter, "Joker, is Commander Shepard with you?"

Joker hesitated for a moment, struggling to find his voice.

"Commander Shepard…", he could barely get the words out, "Shepard… didn't make it. He… died… making sure I…"

Joker couldn't finish, a wave of guilt and grief crashed over the normally wise-cracking pilot. He broke down and started sobbing.

All the survivors were in shock. Nobody said anything, there were no words to describe what they were all feeling. Some crew members started crying, others just sat there, unable to process what they had just heard. Commander Shepard was gone. The only man that could've possibly filled the hole left by Captain David Anderson's departure. The man who they had all come to know and deeply respect. The savior of the Citadel, who defeated Sovereign, Saren, and the geth. To those survivors, Shepard wasn't just their commander, he was their friend. He wasn't supposed to go out like this. Shepard deserved better. Instead, he was killed by an unknown ship during a meaningless mission. However, they knew Shepard died fulfilling his duty. He gave his life to make sure Joker was able to keep his. Shepard died the same way he lived, caring about the safety and well-being of his crew.

In the engineering crew's pod, everyone was taking the news hard. Adams buried his face in his hands, distraught at what he just heard. The other engineers were feeling the same grief. However, it was Tali who was taking it the hardest. She was hit by a painful mixture of sadness and anger. She muted her helmet's voice output so the others wouldn't be aware of how much of a mess she was. Tali's body language, however, made it obvious how she was reacting. Her whole chest sagged with each sob that escaped her body. Her shining eyes, normally visible through her visor, were absent, as tears streamed from her closed eyelids. Tali cried because Shepard was taken away from her and the crew by an unknown enemy while on a useless mission. She lost the only man she had ever developed any kind of romantic feelings for. She was angry with herself that Shepard had died unaware of the feelings she had for him, because she was too scared to tell him. Now Tali would never get that chance, and she had to live with it.


	3. Chapter 3: Two Years Later

Tali was hard at work down in the drive core, focused on the console in front of her. She was monitoring the Normandy's systems, when all of a sudden she felt a pair of hands gently grab her hips. Utterly surprised, Tali whirled around to see who the hands belonged to. She was ready to punch whoever it was, until she saw that it was Commander Shepard who was behind her. He had a warm smile on his face, and his eyes staring into hers melted her heart.

"Shepard!", she exclaimed, her fist relaxing, "Keelah, what are you doing?"

Of course Tali wanted him to hold her, but she just couldn't believe what was happening. The anger she had originally felt was replaced by nervousness. Tali began wringing her hands, and she looked towards the ground, both her telltale signs of nerves.

With one hand, Shepard gently grabbed her hands and held them, a nonverbal way of telling her she didn't need to be nervous with him. He placed his other hand under Tali's chin and raised her head up until her eyes met his.

"Tali, I've noticed the way you act differently around me compared to the rest of the crew", Shepard said fondly.

 _Was I really that obvious?_ she thought.

Tali's cheeks were on fire as she blushed from Shepard's revelation, and she was glad he couldn't see them through her visor. Shepard took her hands in his, using his thumbs to rub them affectionately.

He continued, the passion evident in his voice, "I want you to know I feel the same way."

Tears of joy began to well in Tali's eyes as Shepard moved his hand up to remove her visor, her smile beaming. She finally was able to see his face unobstructed, and didn't care about the health risks of her face being exposed. Tali finally took the initiative, closed her eyes, and pulled Shepard in for a passionate kiss. When she pulled away and opened her eyes, she was horrified at what she saw. Shepard was still standing there smiling, but parts of him began to slowly blow away as if he was made of dust. Tali gasped and took a step back. A few moments later, he was gone entirely, and she was alone.

* * *

Tali shot up in her bed, a cold sweat covering her body. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't in the Normandy's drive core room, but instead was in her cot aboard the Neema. Tears slowly began to stream down her face as she slowly laid herself back down. Tali muted her voice output so the other quarians sleeping around her wouldn't be able to hear her, as she gently wept into her pillow. She leaned over to the edge of her cot, and reached under to grab her footlocker of personal effects. It was only a small footlocker, living in the Migrant Fleet meant that quarians couldn't afford to have many material possessions. Tali's footlocker contained something very sentimental to her, however, the datapad that used to contain the geth data that Shepard had given to her. She had used it as a pilgrimage gift, and it had turned out to be of tremendous value to the Migrant Fleet. In fact, it was arguably the most impressive pilgrimage gift in recent memory, and Tali had been able to have it because of Shepard's generosity. It was the only physical object she had to remind her of him, and she kept it as a memento. She tightly held it close to her chest as she continued to cry.

 _Keelah, I miss him so much_ , she thought.

* * *

It had been almost two years since Shepard died. After the crew had been rescued by the Alliance, they were all invited to attend Commander Shepard's funeral and memorial service. Captain Anderson, Shepard's mentor and commanding officer, led the service. Everyone Tali had come to know during the course of their mission to stop Saren was in attendance. Garrus, Liara, Kaidan, Joker, and even Wrex were all there, but their presence did little to comfort her. There wasn't a dry eye in the building, and all the feelings Tali had initially felt when she heard Shepard had died came rushing back. The crew couldn't even say goodbye to Shepard in person, the Alliance had never managed to recover his body.

Tali returned to the Migrant Fleet after Shepard's funeral and decided to join the crew of the Neema, earning the title Tali'Zorah vas Neema. She used her engineering skills and tech expertise in addition to her pilgrimage gift to gain the respect of most of those in the fleet. Being the daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah, she had a lot to live up to. By utilizing the engineering knowledge she gained from working on the Normandy's advanced drive core and the combat prowess she had learned from going on missions with Shepard, Tali had done an impressive job so far of living up to her father's fame. Since she was arguably the leading expert on the geth, she had been given her own research team to conduct missions given by the Admiralty Board.

Despite acclimating well to life in the Migrant Fleet again and being grateful for the opportunities given to her, Tali missed serving aboard the Normandy. She missed working on the most advanced drive core in the Alliance fleet, especially since most drive cores in the Migrant Fleet were old and less challenging to maintain. She missed working with a human engineering crew, learning new techniques and procedures. Above all, Tali missed Shepard. In the past two years, she had barely managed to get over Shepard's death. Tali never managed to let go of the feelings she had for him, though. She never found the same connection with any other quarian man her age that she had found with Shepard. Tali often found herself wondering what she could've had with Shepard if he felt the same way about her. She doubted he would want a quarian woman, whose face he could never see, whose skin he could never touch, who could never give him children. Shepard would probably have wanted a human or asari woman anyway, her self-doubt told her. But now Tali would never know the answer, and that uncertainty was difficult to live with. Every once and awhile she would dream of Shepard, and the same feelings she felt in that escape pod after hearing he died would come flooding back.

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Tali had managed to cry herself back to sleep, and awoke the next morning still clutching the datapad. She quickly hid it back in her footlocker, not wanting anyone else to know about it.

 _Come on Tali, get youself together_ , she thought.

Tali tried to put the emotional previous night behind her, she had an important mission on the human colony of Freedom's Progress that day. It had recently become deserted, and her team was to recover a quarian pilgrim named Veetor'Nara and search the colony for any information regarding the disappearance of the humans. Tali needed a clear mind in order to stay focused today, there were too many unknowns on this mission for her mind to be elsewhere. However, no amount of mental preparation could've prepared her for what she would find on Freedom's Progress.

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 **Author's Note: Just a quick note, I would greatly appreciate any reviews you all left. Whether they be positive comments or constructive criticism, I want to hear from the audience! Let me know what I'm doing right and/or what I can improve on, because I aim to please.**


	4. Chapter 4: Freedom's Progress

Tali and her team were sitting in one of the metal prefab buildings on Freedom's Progress. Outside, the cold wind howled and snow gently fell from the sky. The only other time Tali had experienced weather like this was when she was part of Commander Shepard's squad on Noveria over two years ago. That was her first experience with winter weather, and it had made a bad first impression. Freedom's Progress wasn't nearly as bad, but Tali still wasn't a fan of the snow.

 _If I'm ever able to live on Rannoch, I'm living someplace warm_ , she decided.

Tali was typing away on her omnitool, writing detailed notes of what the research team had found. Their findings were puzzling to say the least, it appeared as if all the colonists had simply vanished. There were no signs of a battle, the security mechs were still operational, and food was still sitting on kitchen tables.

Other members of the team were searching through a console, looking for any information that might help shed some light on the mystery. Prazza, the squad leader of the quarian marine detailed assigned to protect Tali, was constantly checking and rechecking his assault rifle. He had been on edge ever since one of the marines reported that a Cerberus shuttle had landed on the colony. Tali couldn't stand Prazza, he was hot-headed and impulsive. Not exactly qualities a squad leader should embody. Luckily, the Admiralty Board had placed her in command of the research team from the beginning, so it was Tali who was giving orders. She suspected Prazza was annoyed by having to follow orders from someone who wasn't a soldier, but so far he had been compliant.

All of a sudden, the door to the prefab opened up and three humans with guns burst into the room. Two of them had the distinctive Cerberus logo on their uniforms, these were the Cerberus operatives that had landed in the colony. Prazza sprang up immediately and started walking slowly towards the humans, his rifle aimed at the one closest to him. He hadn't forgotten about when Cerberus attacked the Migrant Fleet two years ago, and was ready to take revenge if any of these operatives stepped out of line. The rest of the research team followed close behind him.

"Stop right there!" Prazza ordered.

Tali, wishing to avoid an unnecessary firefight, jumped in between the quarians and humans.

 _Prazza, you bosh'tet!_ she yelled internally. "Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this", she said sternly as she pushed his rifle aside.

She turned to face the Cerberus operatives. The nearest human lowered his rifle and stepped out of the shadows, the N7 logo on his combat armor gleamed in the light. When Tali recognized who stood before her, she was in complete shock.

 _Keelah, he's alive?_ she thought incredulously. "Wait… Shepard?", she questioned.

 _Is that... Tali?_ Shepard thought. _Oh my God, she looks so different_.

It had been more than two years since he last saw her, but in his mind, it had only been a few days. Shepard remembered Tali as a young woman on her pilgrimage, but the Tali that was in front of him was a confident, mature woman. He couldn't believe how much she'd changed for the better, and was impressed with how she had grown up. Shepard was overjoyed to see her alive and well, and was about to tell her how happy he was to see her. After all, she was the first old Normandy crew member he had seen since being resurrected. There was something more, however, he felt as if he almost wanted to kiss her. Why was he feeling like this? Shepard knew he and Tali were close, and he considered her a great friend, but he'd never felt about her this way before. Something about seeing this strong, confident, mature woman brought up some strange feelings in him.

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!" Prazza yelled, his weapon trained on Shepard again.

Tali was close to punching Prazza.

"Put those weapons down!" she ordered.

Tali needed to process what she had just discovered, and Prazza's overly-aggressive attitude wasn't helping. He reluctantly obeyed, and she turned back to Shepard.

"Shepard… is that…" she was struggling to hold back tears, "You're alive?"

It took every fiber in her being to stop herself from completely breaking down. The man whom she so greatly respected and admired, who had been tragically ripped away from her two years prior, was now standing right in front of her.

 _Is this real? Am I dreaming?_ Tali wondered.

She remembered the dream she had the night before, and prayed to the Ancestors she wasn't dreaming. Then all her romantic feelings toward Shepard returned.

 _Please be real, oh Keelah, please be real_ , Tali pleaded.

Shepard couldn't help but smile at what he saw from Tali. The young woman he remembered would've been too nervous to stand up to others, but the woman he was seeing now had enough confidence to persuade a quarian marine to stand down. He could sense the doubt in Tali's voice when she talked. He wanted to hug her, tell her that it really was Shepard she saw. He had to prove he was real, and knew just what to say.

"Remember when I gave you that geth data, Tali? Did it help you complete your pilgrimage?" he asked thoughtfully.

Nobody but Shepard and Tali knew about him giving her the geth data. When Tali returned from her pilgrimage to the Migrant Fleet, she never mentioned that it had been Shepard who gave her the data. Cerberus couldn't have implanted that memory in a clone, this was the real Commander Shepard.

 _It really is him!_ Tali thought excitedly. "Yes, it did", she replied warmly.

She wanted to hug him, pour out all her feelings for him, but she knew this wasn't the time or place. Tali turned to her quarian colleagues, who were just as surprised as she was to see the supposedly deceased Commander Shepard alive.

"This is definitely Commander Shepard", she assured her team.

Prazza wasn't so sure, "Why is your old commander working for Cerberus?"

Tali answered condescendingly, "I don't know, maybe we should ask."

"I nearly died, Tali. Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me, they want me to investigate attacks on human colonies." Shepard clarified.

He assured Tali he wasn't working for them, they were just working together to accomplish an objective. Shepard knew the anti-alien reputation Cerberus had, and he wanted to make sure Tali knew he didn't subscribe to that ideology. After all, he had recruited Garrus, Liara, Wrex, and herself to help him stop Saren. She believed him, he had never displayed any hate or resentment towards her, only kindness and respect. She was glad to see that sentiment hadn't been lost when he died.

"Perhaps we can work together?" Tali suggested, "We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor. He was here on his pilgrimage."

Shepard agreed, "Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him."

He was relieved to finally have a lead on what happened on Freedom's Progress. Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob were just as confused as the quarians when they arrived.

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza asked coldly.

Tali had had enough of him, and finally snapped.

"No Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship." she told him sternly.

Shepard smirked, he thought Tali was handling this idiot very well. The plan of attack was the humans and quarians would advance to the central warehouse in two teams.

"Make sure to keep in radio contact, it'll be just like old times." Shepard said happily.

Tali was glad to be working with Shepard again.

"Will do", she said cheerfully, "Good luck, Shepard. Whatever happens, it's good to have you back."

Tali wished she could've said more, expressed just how elated she was to see Shepard alive. Her team had already began to move out, so what she said would have to do for now.


	5. Chapter 5: Painful Goodbye

The route to the central warehouse had been fairly difficult for Shepard's team, more than a few LOKI and FENRIS mechs had to be dealt with. The quarian team had a much easier route, and planned on regrouping with Shepard at the cargo docks. However, Prazza saw an opportunity too good to pass up. If the research team got to Veetor first, he theorized, they could get him off the colony without having to deal with Cerberus. He didn't care how highly Tali had spoken of Commander Shepard. He was still with Cerberus, and therefore, a threat.

"Miss Zorah, if we push to the warehouse now we can extract Veetor without letting Cerberus get involved", he said to Tali.

"No Prazza, we're helping _Shepard_ , not Cerberus", she replied, slightly annoyed. "The plan is to regroup and push to the warehouse together, and we're sticking to it."

Prazza had finally had enough of taking orders from Tali, "You'd betray your own people by working with Cerberus just because you have a crush on Shepard!"

 _How dare that bosh'tet accuse me of betraying my people,_ she thought.

"We're done listening to you!" Prazza turned to the rest of the team. "Come on squad, push forward!"

Before Tali could protest, the quarian marines had run off towards the warehouse.

Shepard was taking cover behind a crate when he heard Tali's voice on the radio.

"Shepard! Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead. I told them to wait but they wouldn't listen!" The anger in her voice was evident. "They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get there!"

Shepard responded, "Thanks for the heads up, Tali. You did what you could." _I hope she doesn't blame herself, that guy sounded like a jackass._

Shepard popped out from behind cover and unloaded a burst from his assault rifle into the last mech in the area. It crumpled in a heap to the ground.

"We should have expected this", Miranda said in her usual cold manner.

Her personality was going to take some getting used to.

"You don't know Tali like I do, she would never betray me", Shepard shot back.

The squad could see the cargo bay doors in the distance, but a half dozen security drones block their path.

 _These things just keep coming,_ Shepard thought.

Tali had reached the cargo bay, and was pacing back and forth. She was ready to open the doors when Shepard gave the word, but right now her mind was racing.

 _How could Prazza override me like that?! Who does he think he is?! When this is over…_

Her inner rant was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire and screaming. She could see the open door to the warehouse on the other side of the cargo bay, that's where the sounds were coming from. All of a sudden the quarian marines came running out of the warehouse, a huge YMIR mech right behind them. The mech took out half the squad, Prazza included, with one long burst from its machine gun. It turned its attention to the marines still fleeing, and easily took them out with a few rockets. Tali took cover behind the nearest crate, and quickly radioed Shepard.

"Hurry Shepard!" she yelled. "Veetor reprogrammed the heavy mech, it tore Prazza's squad apart!"

The thought of Tali being in imminent danger awoke something deep inside of Shepard. He leapt over the crate he had previously been crouched behind, and took off sprinting towards the bay doors. Bullets from his rifle tore apart the remaining drones, he never broke his stride.

Shepard radioed in, "Tali, we're clear, open the doors!"

Before the doors had opened halfway, Shepard slid underneath them and located Tali. He rushed over to her position, and took cover just as the mech noticed him.

"Tali, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Shepard asked urgently.

"I'm fine, Shepard", Tali said reassuringly. "Prazza's squad are all dead."

"I'm sorry you lost them, but right now we have to take care of that mech", Shepard said.

He knew how hard it was to lose people under his command, but right now they had to stay focused on the rapidly advancing mech.

"Right", she agreed, "I'll override it's shields and we can take it down together."

Miranda and Jacob rushed into the cargo bay, and took cover nearby. Tali peered around the crate and brought up her omnitool. Within moments, the YMIR's shields were down. Bullets whizzed past her head as she ducked back in cover. Seeing Tali survive a close call like that awoke that same feeling inside Shepard again. He instinctively tossed a grenade towards the mech, which exploded by its feet. As the YMIR staggered, Shepard hopped over the crate and unleashed a torrent of bullets as he ran towards it. Tali, Miranda, and Jacob all opened fire too. The mech couldn't withstand the hail of bullets, and exploded in a dazzling display. The squad then moved into the warehouse, finding Veetor inside.

They learned that the humans had been abducted by Collectors, a mysterious and usually seldomly seen race of aliens. Veetor had managed to piece together surveillance video of the attack and recorded electromagnetic and dark energy readings with his omnitool, which was impressive considering the mental state he was in. He was obviously in shock, and was barely able to put together a cohesive thought. The issue of what to do with Veetor was raised. Miranda wanted to bring Veetor back to the Cerberus outpost for interrogation.

Tali would have none of it, "Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!"

Jacob replied, "We won't hurt him, we just need to see…"

Shepard raised his hand to cut him off.

"Tali wouldn't betray me, and I definitely won't betray her. He's traumatized and needs medical care", he turned to Tali, "Tali, take Veetor back to the Migrant Fleet."

"Thank you, Shepard", Tali said, relieved, "I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders. You're free to take Veetor's omnitool data with you."

"Miranda and Jacob, go wait in the shuttle", he ordered his Cerberus colleagues, "I'll help Tali with Veetor."

After they got Veetor secured in the shuttle, Shepard pulled Tali aside.

"You know Tali, you don't have to take Veetor and go. We could work together, just like old times", Shepard said optimistically.

Tali looked towards the ground, then back at him, "Shepard… I want to, but I can't."

The smile disappeared from Shepard's face.

"I've got a mission of my own, it's too important for me to abandon, even for you", she continued sadly. "When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens."

 _If she's still alive_? Shepard didn't like the sound of that. "That sounds… dangerous," the worry in his voice was clear. "What are you doing?"

"I can't give you the details", Tali answered, "But it's in geth space, that should tell you how important it is."

"I understand, Tali", Shepard said, "You've always been devoted to your people, that's one of the many things I really admire about you."

He mustered a smile, despite his sorrow that she wasn't coming with him.

 _Wait, one of the many things? As in there's more?_ Tali's heart fluttered. "Thank you Shepard", she said sincerely.

"Good luck out there, Tali", Shepard said, "I hope to see you soon."

He began to turn and walk away.

 _Keelah,_ Tali thought, _this might be the last time you see him. Tell him how you really feel about him!_ "Shepard, wait!" Tali called out.

He quickly turned back around.

She paused, "I… good luck to you too." _That's it?! That's all you can say to him?!_

Tali was just too nervous to express her feelings. Shepard smiled warmly, however, and wrapped his arms around Tali in a hug. Tali was surprised, he had never hugged her before, but she wasted no time in hugging him back tightly. Tears began to well up in her eyes, this might be the only chance she got to hold Shepard close. They reluctantly separated.

"Stay safe, Tali. For me", Shepard pleaded.

"I will, and you do the same", she pleaded back, "Save me a spot on the team for when my mission is over."

Shepard laughed softly, and waved goodbye as Tali stepped in the shuttle and closed the door. They both hoped this wouldn't be the last time they saw each other alive.


	6. Chapter 6: Realizations

Tali collapsed into her cot aboard the Neema. She was absolutely exhausted from the day's events. Tali fell asleep within seconds of her head hitting her pillow. She woke up a couple hours later. Tali stared up at the ceiling and began to process what exactly had occurred that day. The man she was in love with, who had been dead for the past two years, had shown up out of nowhere on Freedom's Progress. It all started to make sense. The Alliance wasn't able to recover Shepard's body because Cerberus had somehow managed to locate it before the Alliance did. Not only did Shepard come back from the dead, but Tali had also lost her whole research team during the mission.

She replayed in her mind the comforting words Shepard had said to her when Prazza and the team ran off, " _You did what you could_."

It seemed like he always knew just what to say to make her feel alright.

 _Shepard is right, you weren't responsible for what happened to the team_ , Tali told herself. _The marines made their choice to follow Prazza, and unfortunately they suffered the consequences for his stupidity._

The day had been so overwhelming, Tali wondered if she had dreamt the whole thing. A message on her omnitool from one of the doctors in the Neema's medical bay, saying Veetor had been stabilized, convinced her otherwise.

After Tali had mentally processed the mission, her mind began to drift back to Shepard. It finally struck her that he was truly alive again. Tali had seen him, heard his voice, and felt his embrace. She almost couldn't contain her excitement that Shepard was really back from the dead, and a loving smile spread across her face. Tali knew why Cerberus had brought him back, but she let herself believe that he was brought back just for her. To give her a second chance with him, to have the opportunity to finally pour out her feelings to him, regardless of how he felt about her. She reached into her footlocker and pulled out Shepard's datapad, holding it close. Shepard meant the world to Tali, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. Now she had someone to live for, and another reason to make it through her mission on Haestrom alive.

 _When I see him next,_ she promised herself, _I'm going to tell him I love him, no matter how he responds. At least he'll know_.

Tali thought about how Shepard would respond, and his recent actions toward her gave her hope that he felt the same way she did. How he had lit up when he first saw her on Freedom's Progress, how he had taken down the YMIR mech without regard for his own safety to protect her. Shepard would've done that for any of his crew members, but there was more. How he said there were many things he admired about her, and how he hugged her tightly before she got on the shuttle. Tali had never seen Shepard hug anyone before, and there was emotion in his voice when he told her to stay safe for his sake. All those added together gave her hope that the romantic feelings she felt were reciprocated by Shepard. She checked the time on her omnitool, and seeing that it was late, decided to call it a day. For the first time in two years, Tali fell asleep happy, with a smile on her face.

* * *

Once Shepard had presented his findings on the Collectors to the Illusive Man, he had been put in command of the new Normandy SR-2. It was about twice the size of the old Normandy, but was almost identical in layout to the SR-1. It was a state of the art frigate, with the addition of a research lab and expanded armory. It was to be piloted by none other than Joker, who had joined Cerberus after Shepard's death. It was an emotional reunion between Shepard and Joker, though Joker did manage to squeeze in a few wise remarks about Shepard's glowing scars. Shepard made sure Joker knew he didn't blame him for his death, and that he was still his good friend. Joker was relieved to hear it, and took the Commander on a tour of the new Normandy. After becoming familiarized with the additions to the ship and being introduced to the ship's AI, EDI, Shepard retired to the new Captain's Cabin. It was much more spacious than his old quarters on the SR-1, one of the benefits of the Normandy now being a civilian ship. It had a king-sized bed, a lounge area, a private bathroom, and even a fish tank. Shepard plopped down on the bed, and began recounting the events of the day.

After going over the mission and the new information about the Collectors in his head, he shifted his thoughts to Tali. Shepard was ecstatic that he had seen her, and to know that she was alright. Even though he was sad that Tali couldn't join him right then, he was hopeful that she would after her mission was completed. He remembered back to when the Normandy had been attacked, and how worried he had been about her getting out alive. Not only did Tali get out alive, but she completed her pilgrimage and was given command of a research team. He still couldn't figure out why exactly he had been so worried about her specifically getting off the Normandy alive, or why he had been so overjoyed to see her on Freedom's Progress. Not only that, but what exactly happened that made Shepard charge the drones and YMIR mech to ensure Tali's safety? Also, why did he hug her before she left? He never hugged anyone. Obviously Shepard cared deeply about everyone under his command, but this was a whole new feeling. He didn't feel the same way about Garrus, Kaidan, or Wrex. Shepard didn't even feel the same way about Liara, who he had spent and intimate night with before heading to Ilos two years ago. He replayed all the memories he had of Tali in his head, until the answer hit him.

 _Oh my God_ , Shepard realized, _I'm in love with her!_

It all made so much sense. Shepard shot up, and couldn't help but smile.

 _Why didn't I realize this sooner, I'm in love with Tali!_

This feeling was so new to him. Shepard had dated a few other women before, but had never had a connection quite like this. Everything was so much clearer now. He had been so worried about her escaping the Normandy because he loved her. He had been so happy to see Tali on Freedom's Progress, charged the YMIR mech with no fear, and hugged her tightly before she left because he loved her. Shepard couldn't wait to see Tali again and tell her how he felt. All of a sudden, fear struck.

 _What if she doesn't survive her mission?_ He thought, greatly concerned.

Shepard tried to calm his fears, reassuring himself that Tali was more than capable in combat and as a leader. That same feeling awoke inside him, the same one he felt when they fought the YMIR. Shepard finally discovered what it was, an intense, burning desire to protect Tali. To shield her from whatever harm she might face, to ensure that no matter what the galaxy threw at her, she would be safe. Shepard prayed that Tali would make it out alive, that he could see her again and tell her he loved her. If he could, he would've dropped everything right then to go help Tali. Shepard had his own mission, however, one just as important as hers. He had to assemble a team to fight the Collectors. For now, Tali would be on her own. While Shepard was confident in her abilities, he was still scared he would never get the chance to tell Tali how he felt. He checked the time on his omnitool, and seeing that it was late decided to call it a day. Shepard fell asleep with worry and fear in his mind, but with love and joy in his heart.


	7. Chapter 7: A Haestrom Reunion

**Author's Note: Over 1,000 views! That may not be that much compared to other stories, but to me it's incredible! I never thought I'd reach 100 views, thanks to everyone who's read this so far. I hope you keep coming back!**

* * *

It had been a little over a month since Shepard had last seen Tali, and realized he was in love with her. Every night he would dream of her, and every morning he would wake up wishing she was next to him. The time didn't diminish Shepard's feelings for Tali whatsoever, in fact the waiting just made the flames of his desire burn more intensely. He had asked the Illusive Man to find any information he could about Tali's whereabouts and her mission, under the guise that he wanted to recruit her to his team. That reason wasn't a lie by any means, but it wasn't the whole truth. The biggest reason was Shepard wanted to make sure Tali was safe, and wanted to express his feelings for her. While the Illusive Man had been searching, Shepard had already recruited a formidable team. He recruited the famous vigilante Archangel on Omega, who turned out to be none other than his best friend Garrus. Garrus didn't hesitate to answer the call from Shepard, putting aside his feelings towards Cerberus in order to help his brother-in-arms. Along with him, Shepard had recruited brilliant salarian scientist Professor Mordin Solus, a powerful and slightly insane biotic Jack, and a ferocious tank-bred krogan known only as Grunt. Unfortunately, during the team's first encounter with Collectors on Horizon, Kaidan had refused to join Shepard, unable to put his feelings towards Cerberus aside. The rejection hit Shepard pretty hard, but good news shortly lifted his spirits. Finally, after a month of searching, the Illusive Man had discovered Tali's location, the former quarian colony of Haestrom. Shepard immediately set a course for the planet.

* * *

Tali paced back and forth in the observatory on Haestrom, thinking about how quickly her mission had fell apart. It had been going very well initially, the research team had discovered interesting data about Haestrom's sun that would be extremely useful to the Migrant Fleet. However, when they least expected it, a geth patrol ship had spotted them. Ever since, the geth had sent in wave after wave of attacks, determined to eliminate the organic threat. After losing most of the team of marines, squad leader Kal'Reegar had locked Tali inside of an old observatory for her protection. She could still hear gunfire outside, but had no idea how many marines were left.

 _For the second time now, my research team has been lost on my watch_ , she thought, utterly defeated.

To make matters worse, the intense solar radiation made it impossible for Tali to transmit the data back to the Fleet. She came to the realization that she was going to die here, alone, without even being able to send back the data the team came here for. Tali thought about everyone her death would impact, but she thought mostly about Shepard.

 _Shepard came back from the dead_ _and I was too scared to tell him how I feel_.Tali thought sadly, with tears streaming down her face. _I'll never get the chance to tell him I love him, and he'll never know how much he means to me_.

She could hear the geth colossus outside attempting to break its way inside. Tali just sat in a corner, pulled her knees to her chest, put her head between her knees, and cried. She couldn't do anything else but wait until the colossus broke in and killed her.

Shepard, Garrus, and Grunt were making their way to Tali's position as fast as they could. That was proving rather difficult, with the combination of hostile geth and the unbearable solar radiation confining them to the shade. They had made contact with Kal'Reegar using a dead quarian's radio, and he explained the situation to them and told them how to get to the observatory. Shepard felt a wave of relief rush over him when Reegar told him Tali was safely inside the observatory. Unfortunately, the path to the observatory was filled with many unfriendly geth. The team had managed to make it into a bunker-like building, with half a dozen dead quarians and geth. There were also multiple datapads containing Tali's journal entries. Her voice had a calming effect on Shepard.

In the last journal entry, Tali had said, _"I wish Shepard were here"_ in a soft but distressed tone.

 _Don't worry, Tali_ , he thought, wishing she could hear him, _I'm coming_.

They found a working console, and managed to get a connection to the observatory.

Tali was still in the same position as before, having lost all hope. All of a sudden, she heard a voice calling her name from the console nearby that instantly lifted her spirits.

 _Keelah_ , Tali thought, _is that Shepard?_

She sprang up, stopped crying, and ran over to the console. A hologram of Shepard was looking comfortingly at her.

"Shepard?! Is that you?", Tali said, barely able to contain her joy, "What are you doing here? We're in the middle of geth space."

"I was in the neighborhood, I thought you might need a hand." he answered with a smirk.

Tali appreciated his attempt to make her laugh, if the situation wasn't so dire, she would've.

"Thanks for coming Shepard, it means a lot to hear your voice" she said affectionately. _More than you'll ever know_.

Tali was glad when she heard that Reegar was still alive. She told Shepard how to get to the observatory from his position, and unlocked the door that was blocking his path.

"Just hang in there Tali, we're coming for you." Shepard said reassuringly.

"Be careful, Shepard", Tali pleaded, "and do what you can to keep Reegar alive."

She prayed to the Ancestors, now more than ever, she needed their help.

Shepard and the team managed to reach Reegar's position, sadly he was the only marine left. He explained the plan on how to reach Tali, and insisted on helping. Shepard noticed a hole in Reegar's suit, and managed to persuade the extremely reluctant marine to stand down. Shepard admired Reegar's tenacity, but he was in no shape to fight. Shepard signaled Garrus and Grunt, and on the count of three, they leapt over their cover for the final push to the observatory. The team moved fluidly through the field, Reegar watching on in awe. Garrus was picking off geth with his sniper rifle one by one, moving from cover to cover. Grunt was blasting geth with his shotgun left and right, bashing them with his hands when he had to reload. Shepard let his desire to protect Tali fully consume him, and he became a weapon himself.

 _I'm coming Tali, I'm coming._

Garrus glanced over in Shepard's direction, and couldn't believe what he saw. It was as if time had slowed down for Shepard. Garrus had always been impressed with Shepard's combat prowess, but this was a whole new level. His aim was deadly, his bullets dropping geth with ruthless efficiency. Shepard sprinted toward the observatory, taking cover when he needed to. It was almost as if he could sense what the geth would do before they did it. Before long, the only enemy that was left was the colossus. Shepard took out his newly acquired Collector particle beam, and the whole team unloaded into the last geth. Even Reegar was taking pot shots with his missile launcher. Shepard's particle beam was burning a hole in the colossus, and its eye lit up as it charged up a shot. He didn't waver, and continued slicing into the geth. Just as it was about to fire a blast that would tear Shepard apart, the colossus finally couldn't take any more punishment from all four men. It crumpled to the ground, and its lights flickered out. Shepard rushed to open the observatory door, he couldn't wait any longer.

Tali heard all the gunfire outside stop, and the banging on the door ceased as well.

 _Keelah! Shepard did it!_ , she thought, excitedly.

Just as she finished her thought, the door burst open, and the man she loved was standing there. Shepard did the impossible again, and saved her from certain death. She instantly began running towards him, and he did the same, tears streaming down both their faces. She ran into his arms, and they shared a tight, loving embrace. Tali nestled her face into his neck, and completely broke down sobbing.

"Shepard... I thought... I was going to die here." Tali managed to get out between sobs.

Shepard held the back of her helmet, and rubbed her back trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, I'm here. You're safe." he repeated over and over.

Garrus leaned on the doorway, touched by the display of emotions he saw. Grunt couldn't understand what they were so upset about, they had won, after all. Reegar slowly made his way to the observatory, surprised to see the connection Tali and Shepard had. When Tali had calmed down, she looked over to the rest of the team. "Reegar, Garrus, I can't thank you enough for saving me." she said sincerely.

"Just doing my job, ma'am." Reegar replied warmly.

"You didn't think we would leave you here, did you, Tali?" Garrus responded in his usual joking manner.

Tali laughed, something she hadn't done in awhile. Shepard introduced her to Grunt, who was still thoroughly confused.

Tali turned back to Shepard, "This whole mission has been a disaster, I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress."

"There's a spot open for you on the Normandy, just like I promised, if you're able to join me." Shepard replied, hope in his voice.

"I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the Fleet." Tali said joyfully. "And if the Admirals have a problem with it they can go to hell, I just watched the rest of my team die." she added coldly.

Shepard hugged her again to comfort her, and Tali gladly hugged him back. Now that they were reunited, they both wanted to tell each other their true feelings so badly, oblivious that the other was thinking the same thing. However, they both decided to wait until they were off this miserable planet, and had more privacy. They would have plenty of time for that now that Tali was coming back to the Normandy. An affectionate hug would have to do for now.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Two things I wanted to note. First, I've been on vacation this past week, which is why I've been able to crank out a chapter a day. Now that I'll be back at work, my pace will slow down. At minimum, I'll put out a chapter a week, but I'll try my best to do better than that. Second, in case anyone needed clarification, the feeling Shepard gets in combat where his abilities are enhanced is my way of incorporating the Adrenaline Rush power into the story. Love makes you do crazy things.**


	8. Chapter 8: Complications

It had been a busy and stressful week since Shepard had rescued Tali on Haestrom and she had rejoined the Normandy. She was adjusting to life on the SR-2 very well, and was very eager to learn all she could about the new systems. His mission to assemble a team to defeat the Collectors had taken Shepard to Illium, where he recruited a lethal drell assassin named Thane Krios, and a powerful biotic asari justicar named Samara. He had been spending most of his time planetside for the past five days with Garrus and Miranda tracking down the new recruits, only returning to the Normandy to sleep. Shepard hadn't found time to discuss his feelings with Tali one-on-one. He had taken Miranda in his squad instead of Tali to give her time to become acquainted with the new SR-2 and Cerberus crew. Now that Thane and Samara were on the team, Shepard's business on Illium was done. All he had on his schedule was a meeting with the Illusive Man to report his progress, then he was free for the rest of the evening. He planned on talking to Tali then, and bringing up the topic he had wanted to talk about for weeks.

Tali was almost finished with her work for the day, she just had to read a few more notes on the drive core. She marveled at the new Tantalus model, much more advanced and almost three times larger than the original Normandy's drive core. Being a quarian, this interest came naturally to her. She was surprised how much she liked working on the SR-2, she was initially nervous because she would be working with a completely new engineering crew. Chief Engineer Adams and all the other engineers from the SR-1 were absent, and Tali was apprehensive to say the least about working with a Cerberus crew. However, she really liked the two other engineers she was working with, Ken Donnelly and Gabby Daniels. They had been nothing but kind and respectful towards Tali, something she wasn't expecting from people working for Cerberus. Ken and Gabby both were very impressed with Tali's expertise, she knew more about engineering than either of them. It felt right to be back on the Normandy, working with Shepard again.

Unfortunately, Tali hadn't seen much of Shepard since she returned, he had been so busy on Illium. Since engineering was two decks below the CIC, they didn't run into each other at all during their daily routines. However, Tali had heard from Joker that Shepard was returning to the Normandy, his business on Illium complete. She asked the ship's new yeoman, Kelly Chambers, to tell Shepard she wished to speak with him privately when he had the chance.

 _This is it_ , Tali told herself, _now tell Shepard how you truly feel about him. No more excuses._

Tali ran through the scenario over and over in her head, and she started wringing her hands subconsciously. A notification on her omnitool brought her back to reality. It was a message from the Admiralty Board, and read:

 _To: Tali'Zorah vas Neema  
_ _From: The Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board_

 _Tali'Zorah vas Neema,_

 _The purpose of this message is to inform you that you have been formally charged with treason against the Migrant Fleet. Your presence aboard the Rayya is requested if you wish to be present during your trial. If you fail to return within a reasonable amount of time, you will be tried in absentia._

 _-The Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board_

After his meeting with the Illusive Man, Shepard left the Normandy's conference room and headed to the elevator. He pressed the Engineering deck button, and as the door closed, he fully realized what he was about to do. He was on his way to tell one of his best friends, who had been at his side since his fight with Saren, that he thought of her as much more than just a friend. He began second guessing what he was doing, and wondered if Tali even felt the same way. Commander Shepard, the hero of the Citadel, who defeated Saren, the geth, and Sovereign, was afraid of telling Tali his feelings. A few moments passed before he realized he was already on the Engineering deck. He stepped off the elevator and walked towards Engineering.

 _Wait, what am you doing? Tali probably doesn't even feel the same way._

He stopped, turned around and began walking back towards the elevator.

 _Yes she does! Remember how excited she was to see you on Freedom's Progress? How tightly she hugged you before she boarded the shuttle? How emotionally vulnerable she was with you on Haestrom?_

He turned around for a second time, and headed towards Engineering again.

 _Of course she acted that way, you were dead for two years! Anyone would act like that if someone they lost suddenly came back into their life._

Shepard headed to the elevator for a second time. _No, this is different, something much more than that. She feels the same way, now quit worrying and go tell her!_

Shepard had his resolve back, and made his final decision to confess his feelings to Tali. During his episode of indecisiveness, he hadn't even noticed Grunt standing just outside the Port Cargo Area, completely confused at what he had just witnessed.

 _What is wrong with this crew?_ Grunt thought.

Shepard made his way past the double doors, and saw Tali standing at her console, her back facing him.

A smile on his face, he called out to her, "Tali, do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to…"

As Tali turned around, Shepard could tell something was very wrong. Tears, faintly visible through her visor, were streaming down her face. She was breathing heavy, and her body shook slightly each time she let out a soft cry. His plan to tell her his feelings was abandoned immediately, he needed to comfort her instead.

"Tali, what's wrong?" he asked caringly as he hugged her gently.

She hugged him back, resting her head on his chest, touched by his empathy.

"Shepard… I'm glad you're here." she got out between cries. "I just got a message from the Migrant Fleet, the Admiralty Board has accused me of treason!"

Her crying intensified after saying it out loud. Shepard's heart broke for Tali, she had been through so much recently. She lost her research team twice over the past two months, and now was being charged as a traitor by her own people.

"I'm scared, Shepard." she said with fear in her voice.

"I know you are, Tali" he said in his most calming voice, "and I'm going to help you however I can."

Tali pulled her head back and looked in his eyes, she was shocked he had offered to help so quickly.

"Shepard, no, I can't let you do this. This is my problem to deal with. It would be too big a distraction for you, and your mission is too important." she replied. "Nonsense, Tali, you're part of my crew and you're my friend."

Shepard insisted. "When people I care about are in need, their problems are my problems too."

Tali again was touched by his empathy. How could she not love him? He was so eager to drop everything to help her in her time of need. Tali relented, and began explaining to him the process of quarian trials, and what they should expect. Shepard listened intently to every word she said.

When she had explained everything to him, he contacted Joker over the comm, "Joker, Tali is going to send you the coordinates of the Migrant Fleet. Plot a course and head there immediately."

"Aye aye, Commander." Joker responded.

He turned to Tali, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Don't worry Tali, we're going to get through this. Everything's going to be just fine." he said reassuringly.

Tali truly believed him.

 _I know, Shepard,_ she thought. _Whatever happens, I know you'll do everything you can to help_. "Thank you so much, Shepard. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Shepard smiled and thought, _You have no idea how much you mean to me_.


	9. Chapter 9: Admiralty Board vs Tali'Zorah

The Normandy made the mass relay jump to the Raheel-Leyya system of the Valhallan Threshold, and exited FTL speed a safe distance away from the Migrant Fleet. Shepard and Tali were in the cockpit with Joker, and Shepard was amazed at the sheer size of the Fleet. 50,000 vessels in all, it was the largest collection of starships in the galaxy. Though Tali was used to the sight, she thought it was cute to see Shepard's eyes widen in awe. Given her anxious mood, all she could muster was a slight grin.

Before the Migrant Fleet could determine they were a threat, Tali made contact over the comm with the Rayya, "This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya."

Shepard had never heard her use her extended name like that before, and assumed it was reserved for official occasions.

"Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus, verify." the quarian docking officer responded on the other end.

 _No surprise there_ , Shepard thought, recalling Cerberus' attack on the Migrant Fleet.

Tali recalled the passphrase, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

Shepard caught the double meaning, it referred to a quarian's pilgrimage as well as a hope to eventually return to Rannoch. The Normandy was granted permission to dock. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus waited in the airlock for the Rayya's docking port to extend. Shepard and Garrus had to wear their rebreather helmets in order to avoid contaminating the Rayya, and Shepard got a small understanding of how Tali felt all the time. Though he didn't show it, Shepard was nervous. He always had a plan going into a mission, but he was going into this one blind.

Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya, commanding officer of the ship, was present to greet Tali along with a squad of marines. He exchanged pleasantries with Shepard and Tali, and revealed the nature of the charges. Tali was accused of bringing active geth into the fleet as part of a secret project. She denied any wrongdoing, stating that while she did send back geth parts at her father's request, they were all inactive. Shepard and Captain Danna believed her, but Captain Danna had to cut the conversation short as preparations for the trial had already begun. As the trio headed towards the Garden Plaza, Shepard couldn't believe so many people lived on the Rayya even though it was one of the biggest ships in the fleet. He now had first-hand experience of the plight of the quarian people, and his heart went out to them.

As the squad approached the plaza, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay was waiting there to meet them.

"Tali'Zorah vas… Normandy, I am glad you came." Admiral Raan greeted, happy to see Tali again. Although, she wished it was under better circumstances. "I could delay them only so long."

Tali hugged her, "Auntie Raan!" she exclaimed. "Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She's a friend of my father's."

Shepard noticed how Tali referred to him as she would any quarian.

 _Commander Shepard vas Normandy, I kinda like it._ he thought. "It's a pleasure to meet you Admiral", he said with a smile, though it was hidden by his helmet.

"Likewise, Captain Shepard", Raan replied.

Shepard had learned earlier that he was considered a captain in quarian culture because he was the commanding officer of the Normandy.

"Wait, Raan" Tali said surprised, "you called me… vas Normandy".

In a sad tone, Raan explained that the other admirals had decided to try her under that name, to make her already appear separate from the fleet. Shepard asked Raan if Tali had a defense councilor. Raan explained that under quarian law, when a quarian is tried for treason, their ship's captain acts as their defense councilor. Since Tali was recognized as a crew member of the Normandy, that responsibility would fall on Shepard. Shepard was surprised, but was determined to help Tali any way he could.

 _Anything for Tali, she deserves it_. He spoke to Tali confidently, "I'll do everything in my power to help you, Tali."

"Thank you, Shepard." Tali said sincerely. "I could not ask for a better councilor." _I shouldn't expect anything less from you, you are always so willing to help_ , she thought affectionately.

Raan stated they shouldn't keep the admirals waiting, and everyone entered the Plaza, where a large crowd had gathered to witness the trial.

The three other admirals, Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib, and Daro'Xen vas Moreh, acted as the jury. Tali's father, Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya, had to recuse himself from judgement, as did Raan, due to their personal connections with Tali. Raan would conduct the trial, making sure it went smoothly and keeping order. She spoke to the crowd, announcing the trial had begun. She led a quick prayer to the Ancestors, and then the trial was underway. Tali fought to keep herself from wringing her hands.

 _Stand firm, if I look nervous they'll think I'm guilty_. she told herself.

When asked if Shepard would speak in Tali's defense, he replied, "If it helps Tali, I will. But in her heart she remains Tali'Zorah vas _Neema_ , a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand at her side today."

It was a brilliant opening statement, convincing the crowd that even though her name had been changed to 'vas Normandy', she remained loyal to the Migrant Fleet. A quick argument between Koris and Gerrel broke out, and Shepard took notice. He listened intently, looking for something he could use to help Tali's defense.

After Raan formally read Tali's charges, statements flew back and forth between Shepard, Tali, and the admirals.

When Tali tried explaining she only sent back inactive geth parts that were harmless, Koris interrupted, "Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!"

Gasps spread through the crowd, and Tali asked in a distressed tone, "What are you talking about? What happened?"

Gerrel spoke next, "As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei, your father included."

"What?! Oh, Keelah!" Tali gasped.

Shepard stepped forward, "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

Raan thanked him, but noted that quarian strike teams had already tried unsuccessfully to retake the Alarei.

Tali quickly turned to Shepard, "Shepard, we have to take back the Alarei."

Before he could respond, Koris spoke up in a nasty tone, "The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship, but if you're looking for an honorable death instead of exile…"

He was interrupted by Tali pointing a finger at him and shouting, "I'm looking for my father you bosh'tet!"

Shepard gently grabbed Tali's arm, afraid she was going to jump over the railing in front of them and attack Koris.

 _Calm down, Tali._ he thought. _I know it's hard, but insulting an admiral won't help us here_. Shepard proposed allowing Tali and himself to retake the Alarei, stating "Tali needs to find her father".

Gerrel agreed, and mentioned that if Tali were to die during the mission, her name would be cleared.

The Admiralty Board granted them permission to attempt to save the Alarei, and put the trial on hold. As people started dispersing. Shepard grabbed Tali's shoulders and gently turned her towards him. She was looking at the ground, and he could make out tears on her face. She had been under a lot of stress due to the trial, but the news that her father might be dead pushed her past her breaking point. Shepard's heart broke to see her like this, he couldn't stand to see the woman he cared about so much in so much pain. He spoke to her, with comfort in his voice,

"It'll be okay, Tali. Let's go get your father back."

Tali looked up at him, blinked away tears, and nodded.

She couldn't believe that he kept offering to help, _Keelah Shepard, why are you so good to me?_

Shepard brought Tali in for a hug, and spoke softly to her, "I'm going to go talk to the admirals real quick, then we'll head to the Alarei."

He gathered useful information from talking to each admiral individually. Shepard deduced that the trial wasn't really about Tali, but rather was being used to advance each admiral's position on a potential war with the geth to retake Rannoch. It was well known that Tali and her father fiercely hated the geth. Gerrel was being supportive of Tali because he favored war with the geth, Koris was being hostile towards Tali because he favored peace with the geth. Shepard couldn't read Xen's position regarding Tali, mainly because she couldn't be bothered to have one. With this discovery, Shepard liked Tali's odds of being acquitted if they retook the Alarei. He rejoined Tali and Garrus, and the trio boarded the shuttle that would take them to the captured ship.


	10. Chapter 10: Trial by Gunfire

Shepard quickly ejected a spent thermal clip and inserted a fresh one into his assault rifle. Bullets whizzed past him, forcing him to stay ducked behind cover. Shepard managed to take out a geth trooper who had gotten just a bit too confident and tried to flank his position. The mission was going just about as well as he predicted, considering the Alarei was infested with hostile geth. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus had been under fire ever since they stepped out of the airlock. Although they had only pushed through a few rooms, the carnage that had occurred here was evident. Dead quarians and geth were scattered around each room. He now understood why the quarian strike teams had failed to take the ship, the number of geth aboard was staggering.

 _Just what exactly was Rael doing here that required so many geth?_ Shepard wondered.

Garrus popped out of cover and delivered a bullet right into the glowing visual sensor of the last geth in the room, sparks flying as it fell to the floor.

"Everyone alright?" Shepard asked, already knowing the answer.

His squadmates answered positively, only some minor shield damage that replenished quickly. This mission was different from the many others the three had been on. Normally Garrus would brag and loudly keep track of his kills, but this time he was silent. Also, Tali was much more reckless than she usually was. She was normally a calm professional, but she had a sense of urgency this time around. The reason why was obvious, Tali was trying to rescue her father as fast as possible.

The team continued clearing the ship room by room, killing numerous geth troopers and the occasional cloaked geth hunter.

 _Sneaky bastards,_ Shepard especially hated them.

The mood got more somber as Tali discovered more and more videologs capturing the takeover by the geth. Each one showed a different quarian scientist trying to explain what was happening and eventually being killed. The squad found out that the scientists were testing weapons on active geth, and they had eventually broken free. One videolog showed a conversation between Rael and some scientists, in which Rael explained he was doing this because he had promised Tali a house on Rannoch.

 _No father,_ Tali thought, _don't tell me you did this for me._

There was one in particular that really affected the squad. It showed a female scientist saying goodbye to her young son, yelling "Mommy loves you!" just before being killed.

Garrus let out a sad sigh, and Shepard hung his head after watching, _Jesus Christ_.

Tali had turned away before it ended, she couldn't bear to watch.

Shepard put a hand on Tali's shoulder, looked into her eyes and asked, "Tali, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." she responded without emotion, shrugging Shepard's hand off her shoulder.

He knew she was lying, with each videolog they saw, they realized how improbable it was that Rael was still alive.

 _Please, Ancestors, let him stay in this world_. she pleaded.

The team had cleared most of the ship, and still no sign of Rael'Zorah. All that was left was the bridge. As the doors opened, the squad's worst fear was confirmed. Before them was the lifeless body of a quarian, his enviro-suit bore the markings of an admiral. Rael'Zorah was dead.

 _No...no…_ Shepard thought.

He had expected this, but that didn't mean he was prepared for it. Garrus crouched down and hung his head.

"Father!" Tali yelled as she pushed past Shepard, running and kneeling by her father. "No, no, no! You always had a plan. Masked life signs, or… or an onboard medical stasis program, maybe. You wouldn't…" she said, fighting back tears and barely holding in her emotions.

"Tali…", Shepard spoke softly.

Tali finally realized her father was truly dead, and gave up fighting her tears and emotions.

"They're wrong!" she cried, tearings cascading down her face. "You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't leave me…"

Shepard gently grabbed Tali, pulled her up, and tightly embraced her.

"Hey… come here…", comforting her as much as he could.

She hugged him back and cried into his shoulder, letting out the emotions she felt.

 _Why?! Why did this happen to me?_ Tali screamed inside. "Damn it… damn it!" she choked out between sobs.

Shepard said nothing, just held her and stroked her back, gently swaying trying to calm her down.

Tali slowly pulled away and sniffed back tears, "I'm sorry, Shepard."

"Tali… you have nothing to be sorry about." Shepard comforted, his heart breaking for her.

"Maybe… he would've known I'd come." Tali theorized. "Maybe he left a message."

She activated Rael's omnitool, and a holographic message of him played. He explained what happened, and asked Tali to recover the data of his experiments and present them to the Admirals.

"Thanks, Dad…" Tali said softly.

"He knew you'd come for him, he was trying to help you." Shepard pointed out, placing his hand on her shoulder again. "It's not perfect, it's not what you wanted, but it's the best he could do."

Tali wrapped her arms around him again, and he reciprocated.

"I don't know what's worse." she spoke, and recalled the videolog which revealed Rael's reasons for the experiments. "Thinking he never really cared, or thinking that he did, and that this was the only way he could show it. It doesn't matter, either way, I cared. And I'm here... and we're ending this."

The squad pushed into the bridge, and neutralized the last of the geth onboard. Tali had attacked the geth with an immense rage, seeking revenge for her father's death. When it was all said and done, she had killed most of the geth on the bridge herself. Tali discovered the full data on the experiments on the main console. It showed that Rael was responsible for activating the geth for his experiments, not a mistake on Tali's part.

 _This data can prove she's innocent_ , Shepard thought.

"Shepard, we can't tell anyone what we found here." Tali pleaded.

"Tali, without this evidence, you're looking at exile." Shepard replied, surprised.

"You think I don't know that!" she snapped. "You think I want to live knowing I can never see the Fleet again? I can't go back into that room, and say that my father was the worst war criminal in our people's history!"

Shepard was taken aback, sad that she snapped at him like that. Tali realized what she had done, and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Shepard. It's just… If the Admirals find out, he'd be worse than a exile. He'd be a traitor to our people. It's your decision, but please, don't destroy what my father was."

Shepard, Tali, and Garrus returned to the Rayya, just as the admirals were about to begin without them. As Tali and Shepard stepped to the podium, everyone was surprised to see them alive.

Shepard spoke to the admirals, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy saved the Alarei. I hope this proves her loyalty to the quarian people."

"Her loyalty was never in doubt, only her judgement." Koris retorted.

Gerrel asked, "Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?"

Shepard and Tali looked at each other, her eyes begging him to say no.

"Shepard...please…" she pleaded.

Shepard was at an impasse. He could show the evidence and clear her name, but he would lose Tali's trust. Or he could lie and keep her trust, but she would be exiled. All of a sudden, Shepard found a third option. He remembered what he discovered after speaking to the admirals, and decided to expose their ploy.

He gave her a look that said, _"Trust me."_

Tali watched nervously as the man she loved was about to decide her fate.

 _Oh Keelah, Shepard. Do the right thing._

Shepard spoke confidently, "Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth on the Citadel. That should be all the evidence you need."

Koris interjected "I fail to see what relevance…"

"You're not really interested in Tali, are you?" Shepard interrupted. "This trial isn't about her, it's about the geth."

Koris was shocked, "This hearing has nothing to do with the geth!"

Shepard smiled, the admirals had fallen into his trap.

"You want people to sympathize with the geth. Han'Gerrel wants to go to war. None of you care about Tali. She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial!"

Tali couldn't believe what she was hearing, Shepard was going to save her and her father's name.

"Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel! She saved the Alarei!" Shepard continued, a fiery passion in his words. "She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people! I can't think of stronger evidence than that."

With their plot exposed, the admirals had no choice but to acquit Tali.

Raan read the verdict, "Tali'Zorah, in light of your history of service, we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges."

The crowd erupted with cheers, and Tali jumped into Shepard's arms.

"Shepard! You did it!", if she wasn't wearing her visor she would've kissed him.

Shepard hugged her back tightly and spun her around.

"You know I would never let anything bad happen to you!" he proclaimed loudly.

Raan spoke up, "Commander Shepard!"

He put Tali down, and the crowd quieted.

Raan continued, "Please accept these gifts in appreciation for you taking the time to represent one of our people."

"With all due respect Admiral, I didn't represent one of your people. I represented one of mine." Shepard responded, looking straight into Tali's eyes.

The crowd began to disperse, and Tali pulled Shepard off to the side.

"I can't believe you pulled that off." She said with a smile. "What you said, I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf." Her eyes looked lovingly into his. "Thank you for being there for my father and me."

"No need to thank me Tali, I know you'd have done the same for me. Besides, we can still go back in there and get you exiled if you want." Shepard said, adding some humor Tali desperately needed after all that stress.

Tali laughed, finally able to relax after all she had been through.

"Thanks, but I'm fine with things like this. It's fun watching you shout." she said, a little flirtation in her voice.

Shepard looked over to where the admirals had been standing, "They shouldn't have put you through this, Tali. You deserve better."

Tali subconsciously reached out and grabbed Shepard's hand, "I got better, Shepard. I got you."

When she realized what she had just done, she quickly released his hand, her cheeks turned a deep red.

 _She just held my hand, does that mean…_

"Well… uh… the rest of the crew… we should probably get going." Tali stammered, her hands wringing.

Shepard couldn't believe how cute she was.

"Come on, Tali'Zorah _vas Normandy_." Shepard said happily. "Let's get back to our ship."

He turned and started heading back, but Tali momentarily paused.

"Thank you, Captain." she whispered affectionately.


	11. Chapter 11: Two Hearts' Confessions

The trial and her father's death was two days ago, and Tali was having a difficult time dealing with her father's death, as anyone would. She found that work helped her take her mind off all the sadness and grief she was feeling. While running systems diagnostics and monitoring the drive core provided good distractions, they did nothing to help her mourning process. That part Tali had been doing in her sleeping pod at night, and it usually involved crying herself to sleep. Even though Rael had been a distant father, never really emotionally available for his daughter, Tali knew he still loved her immensely. Her mother's death had deeply affected him, and he never fully recovered. Even with all his flaws, Tali still loved him. Rael had been the only family she had left, now she had no one. Even though Tali called Admiral Raan 'auntie', she wasn't blood. Shala had done more to raise Tali than Rael did, and considered Tali the daughter she never had, but the two didn't have the same connection that real family does.

Although Tali had numerous friends on the Normandy, there was only so much they could do to help her. Garrus, Joker, Gabby, and Ken all tried to talk to her, but she had pushed them all away. Anytime one of them asked if she was okay, Tali would always lie and say she was fine. Though she cared for all of them and knew they cared for her, there was only one person aboard the Normandy who she could possibly talk about her mourning with. That person was Shepard. Shepard showed concern for Tali's situation, he would make the trip down to Engineering to check on her multiple times a day. But her crippling self-doubt would always tell her that Shepard couldn't be bothered with her feelings.

 _He's only asking because it's what a person should do. He's the commander of the Normandy, he has bigger things to worry about than your problems._

It was the same self-doubt that had forced her to hide her feelings for him for so long.

Shepard's heart would break each time Tali lied to him and told him she was fine.

 _Why won't she open up to me? I want her to know that I care about her so much, but now's just not the time_.

It would be inappropriate to confess his feelings for her when she was going through all this. Shepard couldn't stand to see her like this, lying to her friends and putting on a fake smile to hide her pain. Garrus, Joker, Gabby, and Ken all noticed it too, and were concerned about her. They all agreed Tali shouldn't be going through this alone, but there wasn't much else they could do. Then Shepard had an idea.

Shepard was up in his personal cabin and decided this was the time to do it.

He called Tali over the intercom, "Tali, I'd like to see you up in my cabin. Could you come up when you have a chance?"

"Of course Shepard, I'll be right up." she replied, fake enthusiasm in her voice. _I know what he's doing, how many times have I told him I'm fine? He can be a real stubborn bosh'tet_.

Tali walked to the elevator, and pressed the Level 1 button to take her to Shepard's cabin. She tried to mentally prepare herself for Shepard's onslaught of emotional support and comfort.

 _Just tell him you're fine, he's just doing this to be nice. He doesn't really care about you that much_. her self-doubt told her.

Tali exited the elevator and entered Shepard's cabin. She had never been here before, and was impressed with the sight. Tali found Shepard sitting on the couch, and he got up right as she entered.

"Tali, thanks for coming." Shepard said, a warm smile on his face. "How are you holding up?"

The concern was evident in his eyes. Tali sighed, shaking her head.

"Shepard, how many times have I told you, I'm fine." she replied, frustration in her voice.

She was putting on a good show, but Shepard knew her better.

He gently grabbed her shoulder, "Come on, sit down on the couch."

Tali relented and sat down, one cushion of space between them.

Shepard continued, "Tali, I know you're lying. You've been lying ever since we got back to the Normandy. Tali, I care about you so much, why won't you tell me what you're feeling?"

His comforting words and genuine concern were too much for her self-doubt to handle, and she finally gave in.

"Shepard, please, I'm… I'm…" The tears she had been holding back for so long came flooding out. _He really does care!_ she told herself. "I miss him so much!" she cried.

Shepard immediately scooted over and hugged her, and she hugged back and cried into his shoulder. He did the same thing he did on the Alarei, just held her, stroked her back, and let her let all her pent up emotions out.

 _Thank you Tali, for letting me help you._ he thought. _You're not alone, you'll never be alone_.

Shepard hugged her for as long as Tali needed, and the two had a deep personal conversation about her grief and mourning. When they were finished, Tali left feeling so much relief. This was the best she'd felt since they left the Rayya. There was now no doubt in her mind, Shepard cared about her as more than a friend. Even if he didn't feel as strongly as she did, there was still something there, she could feel it. Next time she saw him, she would tell him how she feels

The next day, Shepard made his now routine trip down to Engineering to check on Tali. He was so happy that she had opened up to him yesterday, and that she knew how much her well-being concerned him. Ken and Gabby were on their morning break, so it was just Shepard and Tali in Engineering.

"Hey, Tali" Shepard called out in a friendly tone, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Hey, Shepard!" She could barely contain her excitement at simply seeing him, especially after all he had done yesterday. _Calm down Tali,_ she reminded herself, _relax._ "Of course I have time for you."

"How are you feeling today? Hopefully a little better" Shepard asked.

Tali replied "Yes, thank you for what you did yesterday, it means alot. Emotionally I'm feeling better, physically not so much."

Shepard was concerned, "Tali, what's wrong?"

She saw how concerned she had made him.

"Oh! Don't worry, I just have a small fever, got sloppy while doing some suit repair."

"Suit repair?" He asked, now even more concerned. "What happened?"

"It's nothing Shepard, really." she tried to calm him. "A stray bullet on the Alarei just grazed me and tore my suit. I wasn't even injured, but I got infected while doing repair. It's my own fault, really."

"I don't know how you do it, Tali. I don't know if I could live inside a suit my whole life" Shepard told her.

"I'm not going to lie, it's difficult, Shepard. We're in our suits even among family. The most intimate thing we can do with another quarian is link our suit environments, it's our most important gesture of trust." Tali explained. "I haven't trusted anyone enough for that, though. Except y… well, no quarian. You know what I mean." _Just tell him!_

"I appreciate the thought Tali, and I feel the same way." Shepard said with a smile. "But you don't have to prove anything to me."

Her eyes lit up when she heard his words.

 _Keelah, he does feel the same! "_ I know, Shepard" she responded, almost overcome with joy. "Wait...well not that I know, I didn't mean it like that. It's um… wow, it's hot in here." _He doesn't know exactly what he said, how could he?_ "Um… It's just that the tradition signifies a willingness for… um… intimacy." _Wow, you couldn't have said that any worse._ "I wasn't trying to… it's not always like that. It's more… how did we end up talking about this?"

Her hands were wringing furiously at this point as she kept stumbling over her words. She didn't expect it would be this hard to confess her feelings for raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Wait a minute, it sounds like you're suggesting something, Tali." he said in a flirtatious tone. _Come on Tali, you can say it_ , he urged her mentally.

Tali caught the hint, and finally relaxed.

"What could I possibly be suggesting. I mean a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who let's her join his crew and then goes off the save the galaxy?" She asked in an equally flirtatious tone. Her voice suddenly became filled with passion, "How could she possibly develop any kind of interest in him?"

Shepard took Tali's hands in his, and looked straight into her eyes. It was almost as if he was looking into her very soul.

His words filled her with so much joy, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Tali. I feel the same way about you."

"Really?" she asked, she couldn't believe what she just heard.

She prayed to the Ancestors that this wasn't another cruel nightmare.

"Yes, really!" he proudly exclaimed.

Tali couldn't hold back, she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him.

Tears of joy ran down her face, "Keelah, Shepard! I can't believe it, I've felt this way for so long. I didn't think you felt the same way, thank you!"

"Tali, if anything I should be thanking you! You were by my side through everything that was thrown at us, you mean so much to me."

Shepard was so ecstatic that she felt the same way. He put Tali back down, and he could see her tears streaming down her face.

"You don't know how happy you've made me." Tali said lovingly. "I've tried to tell you how I felt for so long, but I always got so nervous."

Shepard hugged her again, "You never have to be nervous around me. You can tell me anything."

"Shepard, there's so much more I want to tell you." Tali said affectionately. "But Ken and Gabby will be coming back soon, and I want to tell you in private."

"Of course, Tali. I have so much to say too." Shepard said. "Why don't you come by my cabin for dinner after your shift?"

"That sounds wonderful." she answered. "I'll be there."

"I can't wait." Shepard told her as he turned to leave.

Once he was through the doors, Tali turned back to her console. It took all the willpower she had to stop herself from squealing like a little girl. She was so incredibly happy and relieved, the man she had cared about so deeply for so long told her he felt the same. The rest of her shift was going to drag, she absolutely couldn't wait for that night. Shepard stopped in the hallway outside the elevator. He pumped his fists in the air repeatedly and silently screamed, 'Yes, yes! Oh my God, yes!' He hadn't noticed that during his celebration, Grunt had come down in the elevator.

"Shepard, why are you so excited? Did you defeat an enemy?" Grunt asked.

Shepard, embarrassed, responded, "Uh… no, Grunt. I'll… uh… explain later."

He hurriedly rushed past Grunt and into the elevator. Grunt just turned around and headed to his room, wondering why humans were so odd.


	12. Chapter 12: Along the Path

Shepard sat on the couch in his personal cabin, reminiscing about his conversation with Tali earlier that morning. He smiled as he replayed the memories again and again in his head. Shepard remembered how cute Tali's nervous reaction was when she accidentally let it slip that he was the only person she had ever trusted enough to link suits with. How attractive he found her flirtatious voice. How Tali's eyes lit up like fireworks when he told her that the romantic feelings she had were mutual. Shepard hadn't felt the rush of emotions that came from the beginning of a relationship in quite sometime. It'd been almost six years since Shepard had last been in a relationship with a woman, his encounter with Liara two years earlier had been the result of purely physical attraction. Even though he had dated before, Shepard's feelings for Tali were different than they were for the other women. His passion burned more intensely, his longing for her presence was almost unbearable, his joy when she with him was more powerful. Shepard could tell that the connection he had with Tali was special, and he wasn't surprised he felt this way at all. Tali was a kind, strong, loyal, and trustworthy woman. He had fallen for her without even knowing what she looked like, her effect on him was that immense. Shepard checked the time on his omnitool, and saw that it was 17:03.

 _Great, her shift just ended a few minutes ago. She'll be up any minute_.

He had grabbed dinner for the two of them; a turkey sandwich for him and a tube of nutrient paste that Mess Sergeant Gardner had assured him was Tali's favorite flavor. He couldn't wait to talk to her, and discuss their newfound relationship.

Tali, however, wasn't as optimistic as Shepard. Her feelings for him hadn't changed at all, every word she said to him that morning was the truth. It was Shepard's feelings for her that was causing her to worry. Tali's old nemesis, her own self-doubt, had reared its ugly head again.

 _Shepard doesn't really feel that way about you. You forced him into a situation where he couldn't turn you down, he's too nice of a guy to hurt you like that._

Tali had fought with those doubts throughout her entire shift.

 _No! Shepard does have feelings for me! The way he defended me at my trial proves it. No one else would've done that for me, he did because he cares about me so much._

It seemed like no matter what she thought, her doubt would always have another argument.

 _You're a quarian, trapped inside your suit. Why would Shepard want someone he can't even kiss without worrying if his germs will kill you? He deserves someone better than you._

Tali's hands were already wringing during the elevator ride up to his cabin. When she reached Deck One, she hesitated before entering Shepard's cabin. Tali was scared of what he might say if her doubts were right. She didn't know if she could handle the rejection after getting her hopes up so high. With all the courage she could muster, she walked into Shepard's cabin, preparing for the worst.

When Shepard saw the door open, he immediately sprang off the couch and headed towards Tali.

"Hey you." he flirted as he hugged her.

"Hey... Shepard." Tali said nervously, hugging back lightly.

Shepard picked up on her tone right away, "Tali, what's wrong?"

"I was thinking about what we said this morning. I'm sorry, when I expressed my feelings for you, I forced you into a situation where you felt obligated to say you felt the same. I don't blame you for not wanting a quarian woman." she said, unable to look Shepard in the eyes.

She looked down at the ground in shame, and tears began to well in her eyes. Shepard took one of her hands in his, and with the other gently pushed up on her chin until her eyes met his.

"Tali, you didn't force me into anything." he said truthfully. "Believe me, I don't want anyone else. I only want you, I want you so much."

"You really mean that?" Tali allowed herself a sliver of hope.

Shepard put as much love into his words as possible, "Of course. When I look at you, I don't see a quarian. I see a woman who I care so deeply for."

With those words, Shepard struck down the self-doubt that had held Tali back for so long. She finally believed that she had worth to people outside her race, that he really did care for her. Tali embraced him tightly, Shepard had finally freed her from her chains.

"Thank you, Shepard." she said softly. "You don't know what it means to hear you say that, thank you."

"You're welcome, Tali. Every word I said was the truth, don't you ever forget that." Shepard replied, relieved that she finally believed him.

"I won't." Tali promised.

With their feelings for each other confirmed, they moved to the couch and ate their first dinner together as a couple. They talked about when they had developed feelings for each other, and all the obstacles that had prevented them from telling each other. Shepard was saddened when Tali told him just how deeply his death had affected her, but was just glad to finally be with her. After dinner, they decided to watch a movie together, and snuggled on the couch. Tali was so incredibly happy, what she had wanted for so long had finally come true. She hadn't been this happy in a long time, and she had Shepard to thank for that.

Shepard chuckled slightly at a thought.

Tali noticed it, and joked, "That part wasn't even that funny."

"No, it wasn't the movie specifically." Shepard explained. "It's just… I haven't watched a movie with a girlfriend in almost six years. I was thinking about how rusty I must be with all this."

"Girl friend?" Tali asked, confused. "Isn't that just a friend who's a girl? Do humans not have a term for this stage of a relationship?"

Shepard laughed softly, " _Girlfriend_ , it's only one word. It's a term for a woman who is specifically interested in one person, and is in an exclusive relationship with that person. Humans would consider you my girlfriend, and would call me your boyfriend."

Tali giggled after hearing him described their new relationship, the feeling was still fresh for her.

"I understand now, boyfriend." she said playfully. "Girlfriend is like _inszel_."

"Inscell?" now it was Shepard's turn to be confused. "My translator didn't quite get that"

Now it was Tali's turn to explain, " _Inszel_. The best translation I can come up with is 'most trusted confidant and partner'. It's a term of endearment used for quarians, and now a human too, who are in _hecs'tiyl_."

"Sorry Tali, you lost me on that last word." Shepard was now even more confused.

Tali took a moment to think of how to explain it to a non-quarian.

" _Hecs'tiyl_ roughly means 'pathway to the heart'. It's the second of three stages of the quarian bonding process. The first is _pemla'tiyl_ , 'pathway to the mind'. In that stage, quarians become very close friends. I went through that stage on the original Normandy, during our talks in the drive core room. Now that we expressed romantic interest in each other, I've crossed the threshold into _hecs'tiyl_. In this stage, quarians become exclusive, just like a boyfriend and girlfriend."

It was a lot to take in, but Shepard thought he understood it pretty well.

"Ok, _inszel_ , what's the third stage?" he asked.

Tali loved hearing him speak to her in her native language, especially using that term.

She said playfully, tapping him on the chest with her finger, "I'll let you know if, when, I cross that threshold."

"What if I get there first?" Shepard asked.

Tali sighed, "Well… Shepard… I don't know if you can actually go through the bonding process. Quarians are a very emotional race, and no offense, but I don't know if you have the emotional depth that we do. The bonding is so much more than just a relationship, it's a change of your very being. Two souls become one."

"Well, now that you explained it, I'm pretty I sure went through _pemla'tiyl_ on the SR-1 too." Shepard retorted. "I always knew there was something special about you Tali, who's to say I wasn't actually experiencing _pemla'tiyl_?"

"I don't know, Shepard. It's a lot for me to think about, and only time will tell." she lifted her head off his chest and tapped the top of her visor to his forehead. Tali continued lovingly, "For now, _inszel_ , be content knowing my heart is yours."

"Why'd you just tap your visor to my forehead?" Shepard asked.

He wasn't complaining, just curious.

"It's how quarians kiss." Tali explained. "Since we can't remove our visors to actually kiss with our lips without jeopardizing our health, we kiss with our visors".

"Oh, well in that case…" Shepard tapped his forehead to the top of her visor, "I can get used to that."

Tali blushed and giggled, and they both finished watching the movie.

When it was over, the time was 21:22. Shepard could tell Tali was getting tired, and he was as well.

"Tali, would you like to sleep in here tonight… with me?" Shepard suddenly realized how that might sound to her. "Not sleep with me as in… that… I meant just in the same bed, sleep next…"

Tali put a finger on his mouth to hush him, "Shepard, I knew what you meant. And yes, I would love to."

Tali got into bed first, and Shepard went into the bathroom to change into a plain white t-shirt and lounge pants. He then joined her in his bed, and pull the sheets over both of them. Tali laid on her side, as she always did, right next to Shepard. She had one arm under his back and one on his chest, her hands meeting on his shoulder. Shepard laid on his back, his left arm under Tali with his hand on her waist, his right arm gently resting on hers on his chest. Tali used his chest as a pillow, relaxed by the gentle up and down movement from his breaths. Shepard had begun to drift off when he was pulled back by Tali's voice.

"Shepard?" she asked. "Why haven't you told me your first name?"

His eyes shot open.

 _Oh my God,_ he thought, _Tali's my girlfriend and I haven't told her my first name_. "Tali, I'm so sorry." he apologized. "My first name is Jonathan, but I've always gone by John."

"No need to apologize, everyone on the Normandy just calls you Shepard." Tali replied. "Hmm, John… I like it."

"I think you might be the only person on the Normandy who knows my first name." Shepard theorized. "And I'm glad you approve, Tali."

"If I am the only one, then it'll be my secret. Only to be used in private." Tali said flirtatiously. "Goodnight, _John_."

Shepard smiled, "Goodnight, _inszel_."

* * *

 **Author's Note: The sleeping position of both Shepard and Tali I described is the same one used in Mass Effect 2 when you invite Tali up to you cabin and lay down together on the bed.**


	13. Chapter 13: Caution, Geth Aboard

Shepard felt claws tear into his skin as a husk's hand slashed across his face. He recoiled in pain and the husk, seizing the opportunity, jumped on him. Shepard fell backwards onto his back, but luckily was able to kick the husk off him. Tali, noticing her _inszel_ in immediate danger, ran up and shot the husk in the head with her shotgun at point-blank range. Sickly green blood sprayed everywhere, some landing on Tali's helmet. She cursed silently as she wiped away the blood. Shepard had stood up again, and now was holding his left cheek.

 _Damn it! My other scars just healed._ Shepard thought, blood seeping down his face.

He knew the wound wasn't serious, but Dr. Chakwas would still want to look at it when they returned to the Normandy. Garrus glanced over towards Shepard and quickly whipped around, leveling his sniper rifle by the right side of Shepard's head. A deafening boom came from the rifle as a fist-size hole appeared in the last husk where its chest used to be. Shepard clamped his hand down over his ear, an intense ringing blocking out any other sound. He dropped to his knees, disorientated by the pain in his left cheek and ringing in his right ear.

"Shepard?! Are you ok?" Tali yelled, Shepard hardly able to hear her over the ringing. She turned towards Garrus, "Garrus! What the hell?!"

"That husk was sprinting up behind Shepard, I barely had time to react." Garrus defended. "Besides, he's just being dramatic."

Shepard mentally sent an expletive Garrus' way, barely able to hear what was being said. The mission had been interesting so far, to say the least. They were aboard an actual derelict Reaper, recovering a reaper Identify Friend/ Foe device that would allow the Normandy safe passage through the Omega 4 relay. Anyone would think willingly going aboard a real Reaper would be insane, but for the first human Spectre and his squad it was not so surprising, considering their list of pasts excursions. If being inside a Reaper crawling with husks wasn't crazy enough, the team had spotted a geth inside the reaper too. The even crazier thing was that the geth had actually helped them, sniping a few husks that had snuck up behind them.

Now the squad was standing in the Reaper's mass effect core, trying to disable it as a means to escape. The ringing in Shepard's ear had subsided, but was immediately replaced by the faint whispering he had been hearing the entire time aboard the Reaper. He had asked if either Tali or Garrus heard it too, but chalked it up to his mind playing tricks when both responded they didn't hear anything. Shepard didn't have time to dwell on the whispers, as he noticed Tali and Garrus debating. The geth had been knocked unconscious, or whatever the geth equivalent to unconscious was, after being struck by multiple husks. Garrus advocated bringing it back aboard the Normandy because of it's unusual helpful behavior. Tali demanded they leave it there to die, simply because it was a geth and all geth deserved to die after what they did to her people. Shepard knew Garrus was right, this geth acted differently than any other they had encountered. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, but if it proved dangerous they could just put it down like they had so many other geth. Shepard stood up, the blood from his cheek reaching his neck.

 _I'm going to hear about this later_ , he thought. "Tali, I know how you feel about the geth, but Garrus is right. It wasn't hostile towards us, we need to figure out why."

Tali was infuriated.

 _Out of all people, you're supposed to be the one to support me!_ she mentally screamed at Shepard.

She knew, however, that they didn't have time for her complaints now. With the Reaper's core destroyed, it was slowly falling into the star it was orbiting.

Joker radioed to the squad, "You need to get out of there now! I can only keep the Normandy beside the Reaper for so long before it starts falling too fast!"

"We're on our way Joker." Shepard replied. "Garrus, grab the geth's left arm, I'll take its right. Tali, get behind us and cover us."

Garrus and Shepard slung both the geth's arms over their shoulders, and made their way towards the Reaper's exterior as fast they could. Tali followed them closely, blasting away any husk that got close. They eventually made it to where the Normandy was waiting, hovering about 15 yards away from the Reaper. Utilizing the low gravity of the star, Garrus and Shepard practically floated the geth into the Normandy's airlock. Shepard turned around, and ordered his squad to leave first. He unleashed a torrent of bullets on the rapidly approaching husks, and Tali and Garrus jumped to the Normandy. Shepard was the last off the Reaper, jumping just before husks would've overrun his position. With all the crew back safe, the Normandy sped away from the Reaper as it fell into the star.

Shepard decided to keep the disabled geth in the AI Core, where it could be under constant monitoring by EDI and a few armed guards. He stopped by the medical bay once the geth was secure. Dr. Karin Chakwas had been aboard the Normandy even before the mission to stop Saren, and was used to seeing Shepard after missions. His aggressive combat style meant he would usually return with a few minor injuries, sometimes more serious injuries. She assessed his wounds, three gashes ran from his upper left cheek down to just above his mouth. Luckily they weren't very deep, only a few stitches were required. Chakwas finished by applying a large bandage pad to his cheek.

"All set Commander." she said, her motherly voice and British accent always had a calming effect on her patients.

Shepard thanked her, "Thanks for patching me up, Doc. I can always count on you."

"Of course Commander, but do try to be more careful next time. Now, unfortunately these wounds might leave scars. However, knowing how women think, I believe Tali will find them rather attractive." she said jokingly, revealing her knowledge of Shepard and Tali's relationship.

Shepard's eyes widened, in his surprise all he could manage was, "What?"

"Don't act so surprised, Shepard." Chakwas replied with a smile, expecting this reaction from him. "Tali's been spending a lot of time in your cabin recently, and her sleeping pod is empty on the nights she's been with you. Did you honestly believe no one would notice?"

Shepard put his face in his palm, shaking his head.

 _How didn't I see this? Of course the crew would notice something if her sleeping pod is empty after coming up to my cabin._

It had only been two weeks since Shepard and Tali confessed their feelings, but long enough for people to notice.

Chakwas continued, her tone becoming more serious, "Commander, I'm asking as your doctor and hers, are you and Tali…"

"NO." Shepard blurted out, knowing where Chakwas was going with this. "No, it's not like that. I respect and care about Tali too much to pressure her into anything like that. She and I just sleep in the same bed together, no… uh… intimate contact."

Chakwas smiled warmly, placing a hand on Shepard's shoulder, "I'm glad to hear you care about her so much. The whole ship knows how much she cares about you, she's absolutely infatuated with you. She's such a lovely young woman, with a kind and gentle soul. You both deserve to be happy with each other. But know this Shepard, if you do anything to hurt her or break her heart, I'll kick your ass myself."

Shepard chuckled a little, knowing Chakwas had a hint of seriousness to her joke. "I would expect nothing less from you. And don't worry, I meant every word I said."

Shepard moved to the AI Core, and reactivated the geth. He was trusting, but cautious, his hand never far away from his pistol. The same couldn't be said for the armed guards present too, their trigger fingers were always primed. After activating the geth, Shepard actually had a conversation with it. It explained that there was a schism between the true geth and what it called 'The Heretics'. The Heretics were geth that decided to follow and ally with the Reapers. A majority of geth opposed the Reapers, and only Heretics had attacked organics. What was astonishing is that this geth platform wanted to join Shepard, help him defeat the Reapers and Heretics. Its words were backed up by its actions of saving the squad on the Reaper. Shepard agreed to let it join him, and EDI suggested the geth platform be called 'Legion'. This was due to the fact that Legion had 1,183 geth programs inside it. The name was a reference to Mark 5:9 in the Bible, where a man had been possessed by many demons and called himself Legion. Shepard knew the verse, and thought it was appropriate. He left with newfound valuable knowledge on the geth, that they wished to help in the coming fight against the Reapers.

Now came the hardest part, explaining his decision to Tali. Shepard called her up to his cabin, and awaited the barrage he was about to face. When Tali arrived on Deck One, she wasted no time in storming through the door. Shepard was on the other side, ready to meet her and explain himself. Before he opened his mouth, he received a hard slap on his left cheek from Tali. The force of her slap and the screaming pain in his cheek sent him stumbling into the nearby wall. In utter shock, Shepard just slid down to the floor and sat there. He hung his head, knowing how much pain his decision had caused her. Shepard wouldn't react, but instead allow Tali to let out all her emotions.

"You bosh'tet!" she screamed at him. "How could you do this? To _me?_ "

The anger in her voice was overwhelming, but Shepard also noticed the sadness. He could see tears streaming down her face, even through her visor.

"I _loved_ you, John! And this is how you treat me? By bringing a geth aboard the ship? How would you feel if I brought a Collector aboard?"

Shepard had stopped listening after Tali said 'loved'. That one word was all he could focus on. It meant that her feelings for him were as strong as his were for her. But she said 'loved', and also meant that her feelings for him were now in question.

Shepard tried to calm her down, " _Inszel_ , please listen to…"

It only made Tali more angry, "Don't you use that word, John! You obviously don't know what it means. It means that you consider the needs of us both over the needs of yourself. You showed that you only consider your own needs when you brought that monster aboard. One of the monsters that drove my people from our world, one of the monsters that killed my father! You are not my _inszel_!"

Tali couldn't go on, she just sobbed. Shepard stood up and hugged her tightly. She tried to push him away, but he hung onto her. Shepard hung on as if Tali getting away meant he would lose her forever. She finally relented, but didn't hug him back. As Tali cried, he explained everything to her that Legion had told him. About how the true geth opposed the Reapers. About how it was the Heretics that attacked organics, and that killed her father. About how the geth no longer harbored hatred towards the quarians.

Most importantly, Shepard told Tali how much he loved her and how sorry he was.

"I'm so sorry, Tali." Shepard apologized, himself shedding tears. "I love you so much, _inszel_. Please, please forgive me. I love you so much, Tali, I'm so sorry."

He was saddened that it was during a fight that he first told her he loved her, but he needed to show how much he cared about her. How he was sorry he hurt her, and that he would never do it again. The word 'love' passed through the anger that was surrounding Tali's soul. That one word proved that he cared about her as much as she cared about him. How he didn't mean to hurt her, and never purposefully would. He was truly her _inszel_ , and she was his. The anger that clouded her judgement subsided.

"I forgive you, John. I love you too." she whispered, and returned his hug.

Shepard hugged her tighter, relieved that he wasn't going to lose her. For a few more minutes, all they did was stand there, locked in each other's embrace.


	14. Chapter 14: A Night to Remember

Everything was set. The Reaper IFF was fully integrated into the Normandy's systems, and the ship should now be able to pass safely through the Omega 4 relay. After the crew had been abducted by Collectors, Shepard gave the order to immediately head to the Collector Base. The ship had everything it needed to handle whatever the Collectors threw at it, it was now time for the people aboard to gather everything they needed to fight the Collectors.

Joker radioed Shepard, "Four hours out from the relay, Commander. I'll let you know if anything happens before then."

The specialists Shepard had recruited were as ready as they could be, the coming mission was the reason they signed on with Shepard. Each took the remaining time to prepare in their own way. Everyone knew they would most likely not return from this mission, and were ready to face death if it came. There were two people aboard the Normandy who were not at peace, Shepard and Tali. Their relationship had just begun a month earlier, but it had been a month of pure joy. Both spent as much time together as they could, knowing the coming mission was practically suicide. They wanted to make the time they had together as special and meaningful as they could, but now both wanted more time.

Tali had been relieved from her shift in Engineering to prepare for the ground mission, but she already completed everything she needed to. Her weapons were clean and functional. Tali's combat drone, who she had named Chatika, was checked and free of any bugs. She had four hours of free time, time she wanted to spend with Shepard. Unknown to him, Tali had passed into the final stage of the bonding process, _felz'tiyl_. She realized that her very soul was incomplete, and only Shepard could ever complete her. Had this been a normal quarian bonding, Tali would've been formally bonded in an officially ceremony when her partner also crossed into _felz'tiyl_. But nothing was normal about her bonding. Tali bonded with Shepard, a human with little knowledge of their customs and traditions. In the past few months, Shepard had returned from the dead, saved her multiple times, and confessed his feelings for her. All these events had sped up her process, but her feelings were as true as could be. Also, Shepard and Tali most likely wouldn't have an opportunity to have a bonding ceremony and consummate their bond. She wanted to show Shepard how much she loved him, how she would've never be complete without him.

Tali was normally very traditional, but this one time she decided to disregard tradition. She was going to share herself with Shepard before they faced their imminent death. Tali had done research on how to safely do so, and was as prepared as she could be. She knew Shepard would never initiate this, no matter how much he wanted to. He loved her too much to jeopardize her safety to satisfy his interests, and Tali loved him even more for his selflessness. But this was their last chance to do so, any health consequences wouldn't matter if she died on the Collector Base. They had made plans to just be with each other until they reached the relay, but Tali was going to surprise Shepard with her decision.

 _Ancestors, forgive me_. she prayed as she pressed the Deck One button in the elevator.

Shepard was sitting at his desk, staring at the display full of his model ships. He was as nervous as he had ever been before a mission. Not because he was unprepared, but because of the amount of unknown variables. The Normandy was basically going through the relay blind, with no idea of what to expect. The sound of his cabin door opening broke his trance. Shepard saw Tali step through the door, her hands wringing in front of her.

"Hey Tali, I'm glad you're here." he greeted, he was happy to see her but his nerves had snuck into his voice.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything, my _inszel_." she said. "This might be our last chance to be together."

She said _inszel_ even though she had passed into _felz'tiyl_. The term she should've used to describe her feelings toward Shepard was _saera_ , 'my soul's soul'. She didn't use it because she wasn't sure if Shepard felt as strongly as she did, it was a term reserved for bonded lifemates. As far as she knew, Shepard was still in _hecs'tiyl_ , or as close to it as humans could be. They hugged each other, trying to convey their love for each other as best they could. All of a sudden, Tali took Shepard's hand and led him to his bed. They sat down on the edge, facing each other. Tali looked deep into Shepard's eyes, and knew without a doubt she was about to make the right decision. Shepard was her _saera_ , regardless if he knew it. Something deep inside Tali told her that Shepard felt as strongly as she did, but he just didn't realize it yet. He needed her as much as she needed him.

Without breaking eye contact, Tali reached up and pressed her visor release clasps. A hiss escaped as the pressure was released. She took off her visor and placed it on the bed. For the first time, Shepard saw Tali's face. Shepard was shocked she removed her visor, he wasn't expecting this at all. But as he looked upon her face for the first time, his shock was replaced by love.

 _Oh my God…_ Shepard thought. _She's… beautiful_.

He had never seen an visor-less quarian before, and was surprised how closely Tali's facial features resembled a human woman's. The only real difference was her glowing, white eyes. Tali also had two, thin black lines roughly in the shape of a 'v' on her forehead. Her skin was nearly the same shade as his, but paler. Shepard was in utter awe of her beauty, and of her show of trust in him. He knew he was the first person Tali had ever shown her face to. Shepard had wondered at times what she actually looked like under her visor, but was never afraid of what she might look like. He would love her no matter how she looked, his feelings were so much deeper than skin level. Actually seeing her now, Shepard could do nothing but stare and take in her beauty.

Tali noticed Shepard was just staring, and began to feel self-conscious.

 _Oh Keelah, say something! Does he think I'm unattractive?_ "John?" she asked. "Is my face...unappealing to you?"

"What? No!" Shepard answered, coming back to reality. "Tali, _inszel_ , you're gorgeous. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

His words weren't exaggerated, Tali's physical attractiveness combined with her personality made her truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Shepard's words washed away all Tali's fears, she was so relieved he found her attractive. That had been her biggest worry ever since they began their relationship, that Shepard would find her physically unappealing and leave her. Now that Tali had reached _felz'tiyl_ , she would never recover if Shepard left her.

"Keelah, John,I was so worried you would find me unattractive. And that… you would leave me."

"Tali, I will never leave you." Shepard assured her. "When I fell in love with you, I fell in love with _all_ of you. Even though I had never seen your face, I fell in love with you regardless. And now that I can see you, you are truly beautiful beyond description."

Hearing his confession of love, Tali wrapped her arms around Shepard tightly, and he did the same. Tears of joy streamed down her face, the man she loved so much had accepted all of her. Tali pulled away just enough so her face met Shepard's, and kissed him passionately, expressing how deep her love for him was with her lips. Shepard returned the kiss, pouring the same love into it as Tali did. The sensation Tali's lips felt was more than anything she had experienced, they had never felt anything before. It was fitting that Shepard's lips were the first things they felt. They parted, and just looked into each other's' eyes, their foreheads touching.

Shepard suddenly jumped up, "Tali! You're exposed to the air, and… me! You're going to get sick!"

He knew how serious the situation was, Tali could die from this exposure.

Tali laughed slightly, "Relax, _inszel_. I took immuno-boosters, antibiotic injections, and herbal supplements to temporarily bolster my immune system. I'll still have a reaction, but it will be mild and nowhere near deadly."

Shepard relaxed, and sat back down.

"You should've said that first." he scolded her sarcastically. "I was really scared for a second."

Tali laughed, "I'm sorry, but I took every precaution. Now kiss me, you _bosh'tet_."

Shepard joyfully complied, their second kiss filled with as much passion as the first.

As they continued kissing, Tali pushed him down on the bed and got on top of him, her legs straddling his hips.

She broke their kissing, and said in a very seductive tone, "Stay right there."

"Tali?" Shepard asked, propping himself up with his elbows.

She declined to respond, deciding to let her actions do the talking. Her hands pushed back her cloth hood and unlatched her helmet, freeing her entire head. Tali had wavy, jet black hair that reached just past her shoulders. Again, Shepard was surprised with the similarities between human and quarian women. If it weren't for a few differences, it could've been a human woman standing before him. He thought her hair was lovely, and fit right in with her other features. Tali didn't stop there, she kept removing pieces of her suit until there was nothing left. She was obviously nervous, she had never been so exposed before. She felt the air against her skin, causing her to feel new sensations.

Shepard felt he should put her at ease, "Tali, I'm speechless. You have honestly taken my breath away."

She blushed, and seductively crawled back on top of him. Shepard and Tali kissed again, this time exploring a little with their tongues. Shepard gently put his hand on the back of her head, and lightly pushed her into him, not wanting to let her go. He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling how soft it was. Tali did the same, Shepard's buzzcut felt rough in her fingers. She loved how his hair felt, though.

Shepard parted the kiss with Tali, "Wait, Tali. We don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything."

Tali placed a hand on his cheek, and smiled lovingly at him.

"John, I want this. This might be my last chance to share myself with you. To feel your skin against mine. I want this so much." she assured him, and kissed him again to shut him up.

Shepard rolled over so he was now on top of Tali, and stood up so he could undress. He pulled off his Cerberus uniform shirt, revealing his upper body. Tali admired his large biceps, his toned six-pack, and his firm chest. She also noticed his numerous scars, and decided she would ask him about them later. Shepard removed his pants, socks, and boots, then rejoined Tali in the bed.

 _She initiated this, her pleasure is more important than mine_.

He began kissing Tali's neck, sending tingles down her spine. She softly moaned from experiencing the new sensations. She began running her hands up and down his muscular back. With no physical barriers left between them, their skin moved freely against each other. Experiencing all these sensations for the first time, Tali was experiencing pure ecstasy. Finally being able to physically show the love they had for each other, Shepard and Tali made love.

It was an euphoric experience for both of them. To be able to physically express their love for each other was incredible. For Tali, it was being able to finally physically feel someone else's body against hers and the way Shepard made her feel whole. She had been trapped inside her suit for so long, and Shepard, who she was sure was going to be her lifemate someday, was the one who freed her. The way he focused solely on her pleasure, making the experience unbelievably enjoyable, had made her feel wanted and loved in a way she had never felt before. For as long as she could remember, she had tried to live up to the expectations others, especially her father, had set for her. But Shepard accepted her for who she was, never expecting anything of or from her. He just loved her, even with her shortcomings and failures. For Shepard, it was the feeling of sharing himself with someone he truly loved, and who truly loved him back. It hadn't been his first time, but it was the first time love had been the driving force. Shepard felt guilty that he hadn't saved himself for her as she had, but he finally felt complete none the less. And it was Tali, not any of the previous women he had been with, that made him feel whole. Shepard knew deep in his heart that Tali was the one meant for him, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He needed her, and wasn't ever going to let her go.

The two of them just laid in each other's embrace for a while, feeling nothing but each other's skin and the sheets on top of them. The silence between them proved how satisfied both of them were, both physically and emotionally. No words were needed, in fact words would've ruined the magic of the moment. Shepard and Tali wanted nothing more that to hold their love, breathe in their scent, and never let go.

* * *

 **Author's Note: For my story, I used Tali's canon appearance as seen in the picture she gave Shepard in ME3. I know a lot of people were upset with how BioWare presented her. However, I like her appearance, it lined up pretty closely with how I imagined she looked.**


	15. Chapter 15: Suicide Mission

Shepard jumped off the Normandy, becoming the first human to set foot on the Collector base under his own free will. Tali and Thane were not far behind. Legion was next to jump to the base, and headed straight towards the ventilation shaft. Garrus and the fire team he was leading followed. Someone had to traverse the shaft and reach the first checkpoint ahead of the fire teams. Both the teams would be coming in from different sides, a solid diversionary tactic, and the only way to open the doors was from the inside. Legion was an obvious choice, its technical expertise and knowhow meant it could easily bypass and override any security. Though Shepard knew Tali's tech skills were equal to that of Legion's, it was simply too dangerous to send Tali. The heat of the shaft could cook anyone inside if not properly disposed of from the outside. He wouldn't risk sending Tali in there, he was going to keep her in his squad the entire mission to ensure her safety. When she was with him, Shepard at least had some control over their circumstances. It wasn't that Shepard didn't trust Garrus as a leader, quite the opposite actually, but he just felt better with Tali next to him.

Shepard pulled Tali over to the side.

"Tali, I… No matter what happens here, I just want you to know how much I love you." Shepard told her.

She put a single gloved finger to his lips, shushing him.

"Don't talk like that, _inszel_. I know that you love me, and I love you too." Tali assured him, a bright smile on her face. "You can tell me just how much you love me when we make it back to the Normandy."

She doubted they would actually make it back, but she needed Shepard to be optimistic in order to lead them. Shepard drew strength from her words, and his worries began to calm. He was on a mission, ready for combat. Shepard was in his element, where he operated best.

He radioed the other teams, "Shepard to fire team, begin your infiltration. Legion, make your way through the shaft. Let's go get our people back."

With a quick nod to Tali and Thane that was immediately returned, the mission began.

* * *

As the large metal door behind them closed, the two fire teams regrouped. Shepard paused for a moment to think about how successful the mission had been so far. The ground team was now deep inside the Collector Base. They had rescued all the crew members that had been abducted, and Shepard sent Mordin to guide them back to a rendezvous with the Normandy. Joker had radioed in that all the crew, including Mordin, had arrived back safely. The ground team was nearing the end of their mission, and people began to have hope that they might make it out alive. The mission hadn't been all positive though. As the specialists were trying to free the crew, they saw the colonists from Horizon being horrendously liquified while still alive. Their organic matter was then sucked into pipes and sent to the center of the base. The Collectors were still in pursuit of the ground team, and were quickly hacking their way through the large metal door that had just been closed. Shepard decided to take his squad to the central chamber to overload and destroy the base, switching out Thane for Jack. The rest of the ground team would stay and take up a defensive position.

After fighting their way through the last remaining Collectors that stood in between them and the central chamber, Shepard and his squad came across a horrifying sight. They discovered that all the pipes they had seen fed into a Reaper shaped like a human. The Collectors had been melting down humans and using their organic material to construct the new Reaper. Though it wasn't operational yet, in fact only looked about halfway constructed, it still struck fear into their hearts. EDI pointed out that the squad could destroy the Reaper by shooting out the weak points in the pipes, causing the Reaper to fall into the abyss of the central chamber. However, more Collectors came to stop them from doing so.

Shepard once again heard Harbinger, the Reaper controlling the Collectors, call out "Assuming direct control."

Harbinger personally took control of a Collector, and it became much harder to take down, just like all the previous ones it had controlled. Shepard swore under his breath each time he heard that booming voice. After spending a few minutes alternating between blasting Collectors and shooting the feed pipes, the squad had finally weakened the human Reaper's support structure enough to cause it to collapse.

The massive synthetic abomination fell into the abyss, and Shepard let out a sigh of relief. The human Reaper that the Collectors had been constructing was destroyed. The rest of the team had held back the Collectors, though they had almost been overrun a few times. Even though the fighting had been intense, not a single specialist had been killed. There would be many injuries to tend to, but so far everyone had survived.

 _So much for a 'suicide mission'_. Shepard thought.

Once the half-finished Reaper disappeared from sight, Shepard ran over and hugged Tali tightly.

He tapped his forehead to her visor, "It's almost over, now we just have to get out of here."

They separated, and Tali immediately began working to overload the base.

Shepard radioed the rest of the team, "Everyone, head to the Normandy! We're about to blow this place sky high."

"Roger that, headed there now." Garrus replied.

 _I knew I could count on him to keep everyone on his team alive_. Shepard thought.

Tali reported, "Shepard, we're all set. We have ten minutes…"

Before she could finish her sentence, a horrible sound came from the chasm. The human Reaper had climbed its way back up to the platform, and was intent on extracting revenge.

"Everyone! Get to cover!" Shepard yelled as he dove behind the nearest barricade. "Aim for the eyes!"

Shepard, Tali, and Jack unloaded into the Reaper's eyes, but that did little to deter it. It fired its massive laser at the team. Luckily, the barricade held back the force of the laser, but Shepard could feel the immense heat coming from it. Before Shepard could issue more orders, his squad responded. They brilliantly switched between firing and moving to different cover, keeping the Reaper from targeting anyone specifically. This is what they had trained for, and were now executing brilliantly. Shepard joined in, and after a few minutes of repeating the same tactic, the Reaper could withstand no more.

It let out a blood-curdling synthetic shriek as fire erupted from its eyes. The Reaper slowly began sliding off the platform, trying to grab ahold of something, but failed. It lost its grip on the connected platforms, and fell into the chasm for good. However, its massive weight managed to destabilize the hovering platforms, causing some to break away or become misaligned. Shepard and Jack were luckily, the platforms they were on remained stable. Tali was not so lucky, as the one she was on dipped severely to one side. She lost her balance, fell over, and began sliding down toward the abyss.

"Tali!" Shepard yelled, pure terror in his voice.

He immediately reacted, and flung himself down the unstable platform.

Time slowed down for Shepard. He watched as Tali flailed her arms and legs around, trying desperately to grab ahold of anything to slow her descent. Shepard streamlined his body in an attempt to slide faster and close the gap between him and Tali. He stretched out his arm, and Tali tried to grab his hand. She couldn't reach it, and the panic that was in her eyes was visible even through her visor. Tali could see the terror in Shepard's face, and thought that would be the last image she saw. She went through her mind and replayed all her memories of her and Shepard. When they first met, after Shepard saved her from an ambush by the Shadow Broker's thugs. When they reunited on Freedom's Progress, after Shepard had been dead for two years. When he rescued her on Haestrom. When he defended her so feverently during her trial. When they confessed their love for each other. Lastly, Tali remembered when they made love the night before. She slid off the platform, and began falling into the abyss.

"John!" she cried out, hoping Shepard could save her one more time. _Goodbye, saera_. Tali said to herself.

Shepard saw Tali disappear from sight, and knew he would never forgive himself if he didn't save her.

Just when Tali was about to lose all hope, Shepard appeared over the edge of the platform. Grabbing the edge of a barricade with one hand, he swung his other arm down, extending it as far as he could. His hand grabbed onto Tali's wrist as tight as possible.

 _I got you, and I'll never let go_. he thought.

The pain in her wrist caused Tali to gasp. It was most likely sprained from having all her weight on it, and Shepard's grip did nothing to ease the pain. The force of stopping Tali's fall almost tore Shepard's shoulder out of it's socket. He grunted loudly from the strain on his upper body. Summoning all the strength he could, which was boosted by his cybernetic enhancements, he swung Tali back up onto the platform. They weren't safe for long, another platform spinning out of control collided into theirs. The force from the impact knocked them both unconscious.

Shepard was the first to wake up, laying on a rock ledge inside the chasm. He looked around, and saw Jack laying there too, slowly trying to stand. He slowly got up, and noticed Tali lying beneath a piece of metal. She was struggling to push it off herself. Shepard rushed over, and tossed the metal off her with surprising ease. He pulled Tali up and she embraced him tighter than ever.

"I thought you wouldn't reach me in time, I thought I was going to die for sure!" Tali managed to squeeze out in between her sobs.

Shepard tried calming her down, saying reassuringly, "I would never let that happen, _inszel_. Never."

Tears streamed down his face too as he shuddered at the thought of losing Tali.

Joker interrupted their emotional moment over the radio, "Shepard, you need to get out of there now!"

Immediately switching back into a mission-orientated mindset, Shepard ordered his squad to run to the Normandy.

Shepard, Tali, and Jack sprinted to the rendezvous point. Pieces of the Collector Base were falling all around them, they didn't have much time to escape. Shepard paused a few times to provide covering fire, trying to slow down the Collectors that were giving chase. The Normandy flew in to extract the team, and Shepard was far behind the rest of his squad. Tali and Jack easily jumped into the airlock, where Joker was firing an assault rifle at the Collectors. Tali turned around to see Shepard still about 20 yards behind them, sprinting towards the Normandy. The rock formation they had been on was collapsing, and it appeared Shepard was about to go down with it.

 _Ancestors, save him! Don't take him from me!_ Tali urgently prayed. "Run, John! Keelah, run!" she screamed at him.

As he reached the edge of the rock formation, he leapt towards the Normandy with everything he had left. About halfway to the airlock, Shepard realized he didn't have enough distance. His chest slammed into the floor of the airlock, and he tried to grasp onto something. His combat suit provided no friction with the Normandy's hull, and Shepard began to slip off. Tali reached out and grabbed his hand before he could fall, returning the favor from earlier. Ignoring the fiery pain in her wrist, she pulled him up, and all four entered the Normandy. The ship sped away as the Collector base exploded behind them.

Once the Normandy passed back through the Omega 4 relay, the entire ship erupted into cheers. Their mission was finally complete, months of preparations had paid off. Shepard hugged Tali and spun her around, overjoyed that not only them, but everyone, had made it through the mission alive.

"We did it Tali!" he exclaimed.

"No, John, _you_ did it!" Tali asserted. "Nobody else could've done this."

Shepard tapped her visor with his forehead, "I couldn't have done it alone."

Before Shepard could join in with the celebration with the rest of the ship, he had to make one final call to the Illusive Man. He was less than pleased that Shepard destroyed the Collector Base instead of saving it for study. Shepard responded by telling the Illusive Man to take a hike, except with more expletives. He hung up and told Joker to lose the Illusive Man's channel. He joined the festivities, and celebrated the victory with everyone. With EDI controlling the ship, everyone was free to eat, drink, and celebrate long into the night.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So that concludes the ME2 portion of my story! The next chapter will be my ideas of what transpired between ME2 and ME3, but after that I'll jump right into the ME3 storyline.**


	16. Chapter 16: Revealing the Past

The warm water cascaded down on Shepard's back, releasing all the tension in his muscles. He just stood in the shower, letting the water wash away all the stress he had accumulated over the past few months. The Collectors had been defeated, the human Reaper destroyed, and the Collector Base blown to kingdom come. Not only was the mission successful in all facets, but not a single crew member or specialist had been killed. It was a remarkable achievement, Shepard had now saved the galaxy twice. If the Reapers still weren't a looming threat, he would've retired. Shepard had seen enough killing and death to fill a few lifetimes, and was growing weary of fighting. He was 31 now, and was ready to settle down. Ready to start a life outside the Alliance. Ready to start a life with Tali. However, the Reapers put all those plans on hold. Shepard promised himself that if he and Tali survived the Reaper threat, he would propose to her. He knew it wasn't normal to think of marriage after only dating someone for a month, but nothing was normal about their relationship. With all they had been through together, their relationship was as strong as if they had been dating for years.

 _First thing's first_ , he thought, _stop the Reapers._

Shepard shook himself out of his thoughts, and started to actually wash himself. Just as he was finishing, he began to hear faint whispers. He rinsed off, and shut off the shower to listen. Opening the glass shower door, Shepard peered outside to see if anyone was in the bathroom with him. He looked around and saw no one.

"Tali?" Shepard called out. _She shouldn't be here, she still has two hours left of her shift._

He dried himself off, and stepped out of the shower, alone in the bathroom. Shepard walked out into his cabin, but that too was empty. The whispering persisted. As he looked around the room for the source of the whispering, he all of a sudden was hit with a massive headache. Shepard struggled to put on a plain white t-shirt and athletic shorts, the pain in his head was almost unbearable. He quickly got into his bed and decided to sleep off the headache, Tali would wake him up when she came back to the cabin. She basically lived there with him now, all her belongings had been moved in. Everything Tali owned fit into the desk in the lower area of the cabin, which became her personal workspace. Shepard closed his eyes, and his exhaustion immediately put him to sleep.

He awoke from feeling Tali climb into bed with him and wrap her arms around him. Both the whispering and his headache had disappeared. Opening his eyes, the first thing Shepard saw was her glowing eyes looking straight into his, dimmed only by her visor.

"Hello sleepyhead." Tali greeted softly, giggling slightly.

Shepard had called her 'sleepyhead' the first they woke up together, and she thought it was cute.

"I will never get tired of waking up to you." Shepard said, tapping her visor with his forehead.

"Neither will I" she agreed, placing her hand on his cheek.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall, and saw it was 21:14.

 _I slept for six hours?_ "Tali, you got off four hours ago, why didn't you wake me up?" Shepard asked. "I thought we were going to get dinner together?"

"I came back, and saw you sleeping. You looked so peaceful, and I knew you needed the rest." Tali answered.

Shepard smiled, "The bed felt empty without you. I always sleep better with you next to me, even with your snoring."

"I do _not_ snore!" she retorted, laughing and playfully hitting him on his chest.

He pretended she actually hurt him, "Ouch, I was just joking!"

They shared a laugh, then Shepard noticed the brace on her wrist.

"I'm sorry I sprained your wrist, I had no other choice." he apologized.

"John, you _saved_ me. I'll gladly take a sprained wrist if it means I get to keep my life. If anything, I should be thanking you." Tali assured him.

The painful memories of watching her sliding down the platform returned, but hugging her a little tighter made them disappear.

"I seem to remember you saving me as well in the airlock. Thanks for that." Shepard thanked.

"Anytime, I wouldn't be able to carry on without you." Tali responded.

"That makes two of us." he added.

Deciding it was too late to watch a movie or anything like that, they were content just laying in the bed, locked in each other's embrace. For a few minutes, they just lied there in silence, the sound of the other breathing helping them relax. It was Tali who broke the silence first, with a question Shepard hadn't expected.

"John? When can I… meet your family?" she asked.

Shepard's eyes shot open, his mind flashed images of death and abductions.

The lack of a response made Tali nervous, so she explained, "I was researching human relationships, and multiple credible sources said that it was customary for a human to introduce their partner to their family. Plus, I would really enjoy meeting your family. Family is very important to quarians, and I want to see the people who shaped you into the man you are now."

Shepard came back to reality, shaken by the painful memories that had resurfaced.

"Tali, I really wish you could. But… my family… died 15 years ago." he said emotionally.

"Keelah, John, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for bringing up meeting your family." Tali said, mad at herself.

"It's okay, there's no way you could've known. Don't feel bad." Shepard responded.

Tali wanted to know what happened, but she wouldn't dare ask about what must be an incredibly painful topic.

Shepard spoke up, "You've been very open about your past, and since you're my girlfriend, my _inszel_ , you deserve to know about mine."

"John, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Tali told him.

"No, I do. You confided in me about your mother's passing on the original Normandy, it's about time I show you the same level of trust."

He took a deep breath, and began uncovering memories that had been buried deep inside him.

"I was born and raised on Mindoir, a small human colony in the Attican Traverse. My family and I lived on a farm. I remember feeding the animals and running through the cornfields with friends as a kid. It was a good place to grow up, with a loving family."

Tali couldn't imagine being able to run around and play in wide open spaces as a kid, she had grown up in the crampedness of the Migrant Fleet.

Shepard continued, "It was just my parents, Drake and Hannah, my younger brother, Ethan, my younger sister, Isabella, and me. When I was 16, batarian slavers attacked Mindoir. My dad hid us in a shed in our backyard, and he grabbed his shotgun to try to fend of the batarians. I didn't see what happened to him, but I know he was killed. I could hear a lot of gunfire coming from the house, but after a little while it stopped. The slavers eventually found where we were hiding. They dragged us all outside, but my mom managed to stab one of the batarians with a small metal spade. That just pissed off the rest, and they…"

He paused, trying to choke back tears. Tali, who had been holding him the entire time, hugged him even tighter.

"John, you can stop if it's too painful. I'll understand." she said.

Shepard regained some control, and carried on, "I'm fine, it's okay. After my mom stabbed one of the slavers, they… shot her in front of my siblings and me. In my rage, I managed to break away from the batarian holding me, and tried to grab his gun. One of them hit me in the head with his rifle. I fell to the ground, and two of them pinned me down. Since I tried to attack them, they decided I was going to die last. They held me down… and forced me to watch them execute Ethan and Isabella."

The memories of his family being killed was too much, and for the first time in a very long time, Shepard broke down sobbing. Tali felt guilty for causing him to relive all this pain.

 _Keelah, why did I bring this up?_

She pulled him in close, and he cried into her shoulder. She held the back of his head, and stroked his back. Tali wasn't sure how to console him, so she did something she had never done for anyone else before. She started singing to him quietly, a quarian song in Khelish. Shepard didn't understand the words, but her beautiful singing voice had a calming effect on him.

He stopped crying, and said, "Tali, I didn't know you could sing. And that song, the words didn't translate, but it was beautiful."

Tali responded, "You're the only person who has heard me sing, I haven't sang in front of anyone since my mother joined the Ancestors. And the song was one she used to sing to me whenever I was sad. It always made me feel better, so I hoped it would have the same effect on you."

"Thank you for doing that for me, and you have an amazing singing voice." Shepard said.

Tali replied, "Anything for you _inszel_ , and thank you, it means a lot to hear you say that."

She tapped her visor to his forehead.

Shepard continued, "The only reason I got away alive is an Alliance patrol happened to pass by the farm right before the slavers could kill me. I was inspired by those soldiers, and I wanted to protect and save people, just like them. So when I turned 18, I enlisted."

There was a moment of silence as Tali processed everything Shepard had told her.

 _It all makes sense, he protects everyone under his command so vigorously because they're like family to him. He couldn't save his family on Mindoir, and he doesn't want to let that happen again._ "John, I know how difficult that was for you, but I appreciate you telling me. It means a lot that you trust me enough to tell me what happened to your family."

Shepard responded "Like I said, you deserved to know. My mom would've loved you, she was kind, caring, and so full of love, just like you."

Tali was happy to hear Shepard thought his mom would love her, "I know I'll never be able to replace her or the rest of your family, but I'll try my best to fill the hole in your soul that was made when they were taken from you."

Shepard smiled, "That's why she would've loved you, and one of the many reasons why I love you."

Tali smiled back, "I know you're trying to do the same for me, which is one of the many reasons I love you too."

Feeling safe in each other's embrace, they both slowly began to drift asleep. It had been an emotional night for both of them, but one that made their bond even stronger. Knowing they could be completely open with each other had made them even closer. They weren't perfect, they both had a lot of emotional baggage. But they knew they were perfect for each other, which was all that mattered to them.

Shepard had been telling the truth when he told Tali that he slept better when she was with him. Tali felt exactly the same. When he held her at night and she held him back, he felt like he was home. After losing his family, he had never fallen asleep feeling like he truly belonged where he was. But with Tali next to him, he found peace knowing he belonged there. When Tali held Shepard at night and he held her back, she felt wanted. After growing up with so many expectations, she had never felt like people accepted her just for who she was. But with Shepard next to her, she found peace knowing he wanted her just how she was. Spending that night in each other's arms, and with the current threat defeated, they both slept better than they had in years.


	17. Chapter 17: Duty Calls

Shepard sighed, looking over the email again. It was from Admiral David Anderson, and read:

 _To: Cdr. John Shepard  
_ _From: Adm. David Anderson_

 _Commander Shepard,_

 _The deal we discussed earlier was accepted by Alliance Central Command. You are to surrender yourself to Alliance security forces at the Alliance's Earth Headquarters in Vancouver, Canada. You will also relinquish control of the Normandy SR-2 to Alliance personnel. In return, the entire crew of the Normandy and the specialists on board will be granted full immunity from prosecution for their past association with Cerberus. You have one week to arrive in Vancouver with the Normandy. If you fail to do so, the deal will be void._

 _-Admiral David Anderson_

The email was a little too formal for Shepard's liking, but he knew Anderson probably had to follow strict protocol. He had contacted Anderson just before the Normandy attacked the Collector Base, which was two weeks ago. Shepard offered to turn himself in and give the Normandy to the Alliance, under the non-negotiable condition of letting his crew and the recruited specialists go free. He knew that without immunity, everyone else aboard the Normandy would be tried for working for an enemy of the Alliance. Shepard contacted Anderson specifically because he had recently resigned from his Council position and was now an admiral in the Alliance. Anderson now held significant sway in the Alliance, and Shepard believed he would be the only one he could trust to get the deal approved.

 _You always come through for me, Anderson._

Shepard didn't want to turn himself in. He was going to be tried for treason, and if convicted, would most likely face life in prison. However, Shepard was doing it for two reasons. First, by turning himself in, his cooperation would help him avoid a death sentence. Second, he needed the full support of the Alliance and the legitimacy it held in order to rally a defense against the Reapers. Shepard couldn't do that if he was still wanted in association with Cerberus. He smiled slightly at the thought of how both Tali and himself were tried for treason.

 _Hopefully my trial goes just as well as hers_.

He closed his console and looked around his cabin, everything in his plan had come together. It was the two year anniversary of when Shepard and Tali met. Actually, it was exactly two and a half years, Shepard had been dead on the actual anniversary. Since Shepard and Tali were going to be separated for quite some time, he had planned a romantic evening to show her just how much he cared for her. There was a small dinner table with a red cloth in the center of the lower level, with a vase of flowers and candles on it. The surround system had the perfect romantic playlist queued up. Gardner had prepared an excellent meal, in exchange for Shepard allowing Gardner to be in charge of food acquisition from now on. Shepard was going to break the news of his deal with the Alliance and turn himself in tomorrow, and wanted to spend one more night with the woman he loved before being taken into custody. He knew it was going to be incredibly hard for him to be away from her for that long, but he had to do it to have any chance of stopping the Reapers. He prayed that Tali wouldn't take the news too hard.

Tali read the email that she had just received, and processed what it said. It was from the Admiralty Board, and read:

 _To: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy  
_ _From: The Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board_

 _Tali'Zorah vas Normandy,_

 _You are hereby being formally recalled to the Migrant Fleet. The Fleet is preparing for war with the geth to retake our homeworld of Rannoch. Every quarian is being recalled so they may fulfill their duty to the Fleet and assist in the retaking of Rannoch. If you fail to return to the Migrant Fleet within a reasonable amount of time, you will be exiled from the Fleet. In addition, you are being considered as a candidate to fill the seat on the Admiralty Board left by your father when he joined the Ancestors. The election will take place in a month, and interviews with the rest of the Board will take place beforehand to judge your qualifications._

 _Keelah se'lai,  
_ _The Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board_

Tali was infuriated. She couldn't believe her people would even consider something as reckless as war with the geth at this point in time. Having worked with Legion for the past month, her views on the geth had changed significantly, she now believed peace was achievable. Legion had told her that the geth had reached consensus to return Rannoch to the creators, but only if the creators ceased all hostilities. Tali also couldn't believe she was being considered for a position on the Admiralty Board. She was just an engineer, she knew nothing of commanding a fleet or the politics that came with the position. Tali thought of Shepard, and what he would do in this situation. She knew he would return to fulfill his duty, and would also try his best to get elected as an admiral in order to make a difference in the lives of others.

She sighed, _Why does he have to be such a good person?_

She decided that she would return to the Fleet, but would ask Shepard to come with her. Now that she had moved into _felz'tiyl_ , she didn't know if she could bear being away from him for a lengthy period of time. Her soul needed his to feel complete, and without him close her longing for him might be too much to bear. She decided she would break the news to him after her shift, and prayed to the Ancestors that he wouldn't take the news too hard.

Tali's shift ended half an hour later, and she made her way to the elevator. She nervously hit the 'Deck One' button, and began subconsciously wringing her hands. Tali hadn't done that since they began dating, but the news she had to tell him was too overwhelming. She stepped off the elevator and made her way to the door to Shepard's cabin. When she went through the door, she stopped dead in her tracks. The lights were dimmed, and a candle-lit dinner had been prepared. Piano music played softly in the background. Utterly surprised, Tali raised her hands to her helmet and covered where her mouth would be. Shepard was dressed not in his usual uniform, but in a plain gray t-shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket with an 'N7' logo on the right breast. He walked over to her, took her hands in his, and tapped his forehead to her visor.

"Tali, do you know what today is?" he asked, love in his voice.

Tali couldn't answer, her eyes were tearing up and she had a lump in her throat. All she could do was nod.

"It's the two and a half year anniversary of when we met." Shepard answered for her. "We didn't get to celebrate the one or two year anniversary, so I thought this would do. Happy anniversary, Tali."

Tali jumped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. She decided that she wouldn't tell him the news until tomorrow, she just wanted to enjoy the romantic night he set up.

"John, I… I don't know what to say." she said, tapping her visor to his forehead as tears of joy ran down her face.

Shepard smiled, and responded, "You don't need to say anything, _inszel_. Just having you here is enough."

He took her hand and led her to the table, and pulled out her chair for her.

Shepard sat down in his chair and said, "I didn't think my uniform was appropriate attire for this occasion. I know my outfit isn't very classy, but with my wardrobe it was the best I had."

Tali giggled, "It's perfect, John, you look _very_ handsome in it. I should be apologizing, I'm wearing a dirty enviro-suit."

Shepard looked deep into Tali's eyes, "You take my breath away everytime I see you, you're beautiful no matter what you're wearing."

Tali was glad she was wearing her visor, otherwise he could've seen her cheeks turn beet red.

 _You sure do know how to make a girl feel loved._ she thought.

They ate their gourmet candlelight dinner, the sounds of love and laughter filled the cabin. After they ate their respective meal and drank the wine, they just stared into each other's eyes. Their eyes expressed their love in ways their words couldn't. Shepard suddenly stood up, took one of her hands in his, and led her to the open space in the top of the cabin.

"John, what are you doing?" Tali asked with a giggle.

He answered, "You'll see, just follow my lead."

Shepard brought up his omnitool, and Elvis Presley's _Can't Help Falling In Love_ began to play over the surround sound. He placed his hands on Tali's hips, and she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. Following Shepard's lead, they swayed side to side with the beat of the song.

" _Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you."_

Tali thought about how most people in the galaxy would think they were fools for being in a relationship together. Them being of different races, her weak immune system, and their different amino acid chiralities would make the relationship difficult. But neither of them cared, their love would overcome any difficulty.

 _"Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be."_

Shepard felt like his relationship with Tali truly was meant to be. He had been so alone for so long after his family died. Sure, Shepard had friends, and Anderson was like a father to him, but they weren't real family. Now, he had a chance at having a real family. Shepard knew someone up above was looking out for him.

 _"Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help, falling in love with you."_

Tali knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Shepard. Her soul needed him. No one else made her feel the way he did. Shepard made her feel loved, wanted, safe, happy, and above all, complete. Tali had done what she never expected, she bonded with a human.

Tali's allergic reaction from her first exposure to Shepard had just faded away the day before, but she needed to touch him again. Just as the song began to fade, Tali took one of her hands from the back of Shepard's neck and took off her visor. Her smile was as bright as ever, love filled her eyes, and tears of pure happiness ran down her face. Shepard used his hand to gently wipe away her tears. She used her other hand to pull him in for a deep kiss. Passion flowed through both of them as they tasted each other's lips. Not breaking the kiss, Shepard removed Tali's hood. She used her hands to guide Shepard's to her helmet release. Her black hair fell down, and he felt how soft it was as he gently grabbed the back of her head to pull her into a deeper kiss. The romance of the night had driven their desire into overdrive, they both needed to feel each other. Continuing kissing, Shepard grabbed Tali's butt and picked her up. She shrieked happily and held on to him. They practically fell into the bed, and started removing each other's clothes. Quickly admiring the other's naked body, they joined. Knowing this would be the last time for quite awhile they would be together, they made love long into the night.

After Shepard and Tali could go no longer, they just laid with each other in the bed. Their very souls had danced together while their bodies had moved as one.

Tali broke the silence first, "John, who was the man who was singing that song? I loved it, and he his voice was so unique."

Shepard answered, "Elvis Presley, known back on Earth as 'The King of Rock 'n Roll'. He was the most popular musician in the world a little over two centuries ago. I'm glad you liked the song, I can transfer the file to your omnitool if you want."

"Please do. Whenever I listen to it, I'll think of you." she told him.

Shepard obliged right away.

"Thank you for this night John, you make me feel so loved." Tali said.

Shepard responded, "Of course, Tali. You deserve it, and so much more. You mean that much to me."

This had been one of the best nights in Tali's life, she was touched by Shepard's thoughtfulness and desire to show her how special she was to him. The same went for Shepard, he wanted to make sure she knew how deep his feelings for her were. Unaware the other was thinking the same thing, they both dreaded what the next day would bring. The sadness their news would cause. But for now, they had each other. If they had one wish, it would be that this night would never end.


	18. Chapter 18: Separation

The alarm went off promptly at 07:30, and Shepard grudgingly opened his eyes. He felt around the bed for Tali, but all he felt were the sheets. He sat up and looked around the cabin, blinking a few times to rid his eyes of drowsiness.

 _Empty, where'd she go?_

Tali's shift didn't start for an hour and a half, it wasn't like her to be gone when his alarm went off. They would always wake up, get ready for the day, and eat breakfast together before going their separate ways for the day. Shepard suddenly noticed his omnitool beeping. He saw that he had an unread omnitool message from Tali, which read:

 _To: John  
_ _From: Tali_

 _Good morning John!_

 _I'm sorry I won't be there when you wake up, there was a problem with the drive core that required my attention. Thank you so much for last night, you always make me feel so loved! Looking forward to seeing you tonight, eight hours away from you is just too long._

 _With all my love,  
_ _Tali_

Shepard smiled at how cute Tali was, her demeanor had changed so much since they started dating. She went from being shy and reserved around him, to open and confident. Tali was no longer afraid of embarrassing herself around him, she was free to be herself. His smile quickly faded, as he realized that in a few hours he would be in Alliance custody. Joker had already began transit to Earth, although he was unaware of the reason. Shepard was planning on telling Tali about the deal he made this morning, then addressing the entire crew over the intercom.

He sighed, _Tali deserves to hear this from me personally, not over the intercom._

Shepard got ready, and after breakfast headed straight to the CIC. He took his usual position above the galaxy map.

"EDI, open ship-wide comms." he stated.

Tali was in Engineering, running more diagnostics on the drive core. She regretted she didn't have the chance to tell Shepard about her recall and election in the morning, but she wasn't going to tell him via omnitool message. Tali was going to tell him after her shift was over.

 _John deserves to learn about this from me personally_ , she thought.

Tali had written an email to Admiral Raan, asking if Shepard could accompany her to the Migrant Fleet during her recall. She hadn't sent it yet, this would be the first time Shala would hear of her relationship with Shepard. Tali tried to word the news of her relationship as best she could, but wasn't satisfied with it yet. Not only was she unsure if Shepard could accompany her to the Migrant Fleet, she didn't know if Shepard could leave for that long. Tali was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of the ship's intercom coming to life.

Shepard began his address to the crew, "Normandy crew, this is Commander Shepard. I have news that all of you deserve to know about. Yesterday, I received word that a deal I proposed to the Alliance before the attack on the Collector Base had been accepted. We are currently in transit to Earth, where I will be surrendering myself and the Normandy to Alliance forces."

A chorus of gasps accompanied by concerned looks filled the ship. Most of the crew began to wonder what would happen to them, if the Commander was surrendering himself surely they all would be taken into custody too.

Shepard put all those fears to rest, "In exchange for myself and the Normandy, the Alliance has agreed to grant full immunity to everyone else aboard, both crew and specialists. Although the Collectors have been defeated, the Reapers are still coming. I'm going to do everything within my power to stop them, but I won't get much accomplished while associated with an organization such as Cerberus. If I'm going to get the Alliance and all the other systems to rally together, I can't be operating as a fugitive. As for all of you, you're free to continue on as you see fit. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve with each and every one of you. Shepard out."

Tali was fuming mad at Shepard.

 _That bosh'tet! He'll be court-martialed for sure. He's going to throw away everything we have together and go to prison for the rest of his life!_

Deep down inside, however, Tali knew Shepard was doing the right thing. He was just protecting his crew, as he always had. If they were captured by the Alliance or any other Council race, they would all be imprisoned for working for a terrorist organization. She believed that Shepard would find a way to avoid imprisonment. Even if he didn't, when the Reapers finally came, the Alliance would need his expertise. Shepard was saving the crew and giving himself the legitimacy needed to rally a defense against the Reapers. Even though Tali knew he was doing the right thing, she still wasn't happy about it. Shepard had sacrificed so much already, but he was still willing to risk prison to save his crew and protect the galaxy. Tali couldn't think of a more honorable and courageous man, just a few of the many things she loved about him. She quickly deleted the email draft she was going to send to Admiral Raan, she would be returning to the Migrant Fleet alone.

After his announcement, Shepard made his way down to Engineering. He had to talk to Tali about this, she deserved as much.

Walking through the doors to Engineering, Shepard called out, "Hey Tali, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Tali looked over at Ken and Gabby, "Do you two mind if I step away for a bit?"

"Not at all lass" Ken answered, "We got things covered in here."

"Take as much time as you need, Tali." Gabby added.

They both understood that this situation would be difficult for Tali. Noticing that Jack was absent from the sub-level, Shepard and Tali decided to talk there in private.

Shepard apologized, "Tali, I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you in person. I only found out the deal was accepted yesterday. I didn't want to bring it up during our anniversary celebration, and you were already gone this morning when I woke up."

Tali accepted, "It's okay, John, I understand. I know you're doing the right thing, it's just… you've already sacrificed so much for the galaxy."

"I have to do this, Tali. For you and everyone else on board." Shepard said.

Tali replied, "I know. Whatever happens, I'll be waiting for you when this is all over."

"The Alliance probably won't let me have contact with anyone from the Normandy crew while I'm in custody. But as soon as I'm able to, I'll contact you. I want to talk longer, but I have to go to the bridge and contact the Alliance." Shepard added.

He turned to leave, but Tali stopped him.

"John, wait." Tali called out. "I…"

She wanted to tell him about her recall to the Fleet for the coming war, but she didn't want to add that stress to him. They wouldn't be able to contact each other for quite some time, and Tali didn't want him worrying if she was alive or not.

"I love you." she finished.

Shepard hugged her, and tapped his forehead to her visor, "I love you too, Tali."

They parted, and Shepard headed up to the bridge.

* * *

A few hours later, the Normandy had arrived on Earth.

Joker opened up a comms channel with the Alliance, "Alliance Headquarters, this is the Normandy. Requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted" the Alliance docking officer replied, "Head to landing pad J45."

As the Normandy prepared for its descent, all the specialists had gathered in the CIC. They all had to be cleared for release by the Alliance, but they mainly wanted to say goodbye to their Commander. Shepard made his way down the line of specialists, saying goodbye to each individually, eventually coming to Garrus.

"Shepard, it's been an honor serving with you." Garrus said, extending his hand.

Shepard took it, shook his hand, and pulled him in for a one arm hug.

"You've been like a brother to me, Garrus. An ugly, bird-looking brother." Shepard replied.

Garrus laughed and patted Shepard on the back.

Shepard continued, "When this is over, and the Reapers invade, I'd love to have you back on the team."

Garrus smiled, "Did you really have to ask, Shepard? There's nowhere else I'd rather be, I'm with you to the end."

"Glad to hear it, thanks Garrus." Shepard thanked. "Also, I know this is going to be really hard for Tali. Would you mind checking in on her every now and then?"

"Of course, she's like a little sister to me. I'll help her through this, don't worry." Garrus answered wholeheartedly. "Speaking of Tali, she's on her way up right now."

Just then, the airlock burst open. A squad of six Alliance Security forces rushed into the CIC, guns drawn and wearing full combat gear.

One of the helmeted soldiers called out, "Commander Shepard, step forward!"

Shepard took a step forward, "I'm Commander Shepard, I'm unarmed and I won't resist."

The same soldier trained his rifle on Shepard, "Hands up! On your knees!"

The five other soldiers had their guns pointed at the specialists.

Shepard complied, "Relax, I'm surrendering peacefully."

"Shut up!" the soldier yelled.

He moved behind Shepard and placed his hand behind his back. All of a sudden Admiral Anderson came rushing in, followed closely by another Alliance soldier. Shepard noticed the other soldier's name patch read 'Garcia' and could make out a lieutenant emblem on his collar.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Anderson demanded. "Put those weapons away, Commander Shepard is surrendering peacefully!"

"Sorry Admiral, but this is standard procedure when charges of treason are involved." Lieutenant Garcia said, a hint of a Spanish accent in his voice. "Weapons down men, Shepard is no threat."

Garcia's soldiers obeyed, and the room became much less tense. Although, all the soldiers kept an eye on Grunt, just in case.

* * *

 _Keelah, can this elevator go any slower?_ Tali thought anxiously.

She had just finished the shutdown procedures for the drive core, and was hurrying up to the CIC. Tali wasn't about to let Shepard get arrested without saying goodbye first. When the elevator doors opened, she saw Admiral Anderson, an Alliance officer, and six other Alliance soldiers surrounded by the other specialists. Tali ran over to the crowd, and brushed past Grunt to see what was happening. She saw Shepard, on his knees with his hands laced behind his head.

"John!" Tali cried out, and tried to rush past one of the Alliance soldiers.

 _John? Who's John?_ Grunt wondered.

The soldier grabbed her with his free arm, and pushed her back forcefully towards the other specialists.

"Back up! Do that again and I'll arrest you too!" the soldier yelled.

Shepard wanted to get up and beat the living hell out of the soldier, but knew it wouldn't look good in his trial if he attacked a security officer.

"Don't you touch her!" he yelled at the soldier. Turning to Anderson, Shepard pleaded, "Please Anderson, let me see her."

Anderson recognized Tali as the quarian girl who gave them the data implicating Saren over two years ago, "Of course, Shepard. Let her through."

The soldier turned back to Garcia, "Sir?"

"You heard the admiral, let her through!" Garcia barked.

Tali rushed over to Shepard, and wrapped her arms around him.

Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "Please don't leave me _inszel_ , I don't know if I can bear it."

She sobbed into his shoulder. Shepard placed his hand on the back of her helmet, and gently rubbed her back with his other.

"Shh, it'll all be alright." he said softly, struggling to not cry himself. "You're such a strong woman, Tali. I love that about you, we'll make it through this."

It would be hard for him too, being away from Tali for so long.

"I love you so much, John. Come back to me." Tali pleaded.

"I will, _inszel_ , I promise." Shepard replied, as his own tears began to fall. "Now go, be strong and stay safe. I'll be back before you know it. I love you too, Tali."

They reluctantly separated, and Tali moved back to the crowd. By this time, the rest of the crew had gathered around. Nobody said a word. Ken and Gabby pushed their way to the front of the crowd, and Gabby hugged Tali, trying to comfort her.

Garcia walked over to Shepard, and nodded to one of the Alliance soldiers. The soldier handcuffed Shepard's hands behind his back.

Garcia said, "Commander John Shepard, you are under arrest for charges of treason. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be…"

As Garcia read off his rights, Shepard looked directly into Tali's eyes. Tali was resting her head on Gabby's shoulder, her eyes looking right back into his. When Garcia was finished, he and his men led Shepard out of the Normandy. Shepard never broke eye contact with Tali until the airlock obstructed his view. They both wondered how long it would be before they saw each other again, and prayed they would be reunited before the Reapers attacked.


	19. Chapter 19: The Fall of Earth

"Shepard, you cannot resist." boomed Harbinger, his voice drowning out all other noise.

Everything was black, Shepard couldn't make out any objects. He looked around, but his surroundings were as dark as night. The incessant whispering had returned, and it was slowly driving him mad.

"You prolong the inevitable." Harbinger continued.

Shepard couldn't move, it was as if his body were restrained. But there was nothing holding him down, yet he couldn't move at all. He was paralyzed.

"Hope is irrelevant." Harbinger condescended.

Shepard tried to say something back to Harbinger, but he couldn't even move his mouth.

So he yelled internally, _We beat the Collectors, we can beat you too!_

"We will end you, all of you." Harbinger stated.

All of a sudden, Shepard was transported instantly to a city street. It was nighttime, and the city bore the mark of destruction. Rubble was strewn everywhere, buildings had large sections missing from them or had collapsed completely. Shepard regained control of his body, and started walking towards an intersection. Scattered around the intersection, were the charred remains of his friends.

He saw Garrus, Joker, Grunt, Thane, Kaidan, Liara, and the others, smoke still coming from their burnt corpses. Shepard was in complete shock, he had no words for the horror surrounding him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Shepard ran over when he realized it was Tali, burnt just as badly as the rest but still alive. Her suit had been melted off from the intense heat, and her once soft skin was now scorched black.

"Tali!" Shepard yelled, panic and fear in his voice.

He knelt beside her, and looked at her face, absolutely mortified. All her luscious black hair had been singed off, her once bright, white eyes were now a foggy red.

"John…" she whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

"I'm here, Tali. I'll get you out of here, you're going to be fine." Shepard said in a frenzied tone.

He knew it was a lie, but he tried to comfort her.

Suddenly Tali yelled out, so loud it almost shattered his eardrums, "Why didn't you save me! You did this to me!"

Shepard then heard the thunderous screech of a Reaper, and Harbinger landed near him.

Harbinger roared, "You have no one left, Shepard. You will not stop me."

* * *

Shepard shot up in his bed, and frantically searched around for Tali. He had to hold her, make sure she was alright. His frenzy lasted a few more seconds, before he realized where he was. He was in his cell, in the detention center of the Alliance Vancouver Headquarters. Though, calling it a 'cell' was an insult to the room. It was much more spacious than a normal prison cell, it would've been more accurate to call it an apartment. Shepard had a bedroom and living room, with his own private bathroom. Thanks to some irrefutable evidence that conveniently found it's way to Shepard's defense attorney's hands, Shepard had been cleared of the charges against him. Miranda had managed to get a hold of highly classified Cerberus documents and recordings that showed that the Illusive Man wasn't going to let Shepard go if he refused to hunt down the Collectors. He was merely giving Shepard the illusion of free will. That evidence was enough to prove that Shepard had been working for Cerberus against his will. Even though he was cleared of charges, he was still under monitored surveillance. Shepard couldn't leave his apartment without an escort, and all his communications were being watched. The Alliance brass was keeping him around in case the Reapers actually did attack, Shepard was considered an expert.

Deeply shaken by his nightmare, Shepard desperately needed Tali's embrace and her calming words. Nightmares had periodically struck Shepard during the time he was aboard the Normandy, they always involved Reapers and Tali dying somehow. She would always wake up and comfort him. Tali would remind him where he was, and show him she was there with him. But Shepard had been away from her for six months now, and the nightmares were beginning to take a psychological toll. He refused to see a psychologist, thinking that he didn't need mental help. Shepard just needed Tali, he always felt more relaxed and at ease with her around. He missed her soft touch, the smell of her hair, and the sweet taste of her lips. Shepard's very soul longed for hers. Ever since he was arrested, he hadn't slept soundly or had any comfort from his nightmares. Shepard got up, and went to the shower. The warm water would help him relax. Once he had showered, he got dressed, glad to be wearing the blue Alliance Navy fatigues again.

He heard a knock on the door, and Lieutenant Garcia walked into his apartment. He had been assigned as Shepard's handler during his internment.

Garcia saluted, and said, "Commander, the Alliance Defense Committee wants to see you. You have a meeting with them in 15 minutes, I suggest we leave now."

Shepard returned the salute, "Garcia, you're not supposed to call me 'Commander' anymore."

Though the Alliance cleared him of the charges, they had still stripped Shepard of his rank and command of the Normandy.

Garcia replied, "I know Shepard, but I don't agree with what the Alliance did. To many in the Alliance, you're still _Commander_ Shepard."

The duo made their way to the committee hearing room.

On the way there, Shepard asked, "So what's this about, Garcia?"

"Sorry, Commander, they wouldn't say. Just told me to get you, and that it was urgent." replied Garcia.

 _Don't like the sound of that_ , Shepard thought.

They met Admiral Anderson just outside the hearing room. Anderson explained that Admiral Hackett had mobilized all the fleets, and something big was headed towards Earth.

 _It's the Reapers_ , Shepard surmised.

There was about five minutes left before the meeting, when Shepard saw a familiar face walking towards him. One he hadn't seen in almost ten years.

 _No way, it can't be_ , Shepard thought.

"Sergeant Shepard!" the man shouted, "Is that really you?"

"Private James Vega," Shepard said with a smile, "It's good to see you again."

"Hell yeah sir! And it's _lieutenant_ now" James said smugly.

Shepard countered, "If you saw me six months ago, it would've been _Commander_ Shepard."

"I remember hearing about when you transferred from the Marines to the Navy, thought you had gone soft." James said, jokingly. "But when I saw the vids of you saving the Citadel, I knew you were still the same marine I fought with on Elysium."

Shepard hadn't seen James since the Skyllian Blitz, back when he was just a sergeant in the Alliance Marines. James had been a new addition to his squad, fresh out of boot camp. But during the battle, James fought with the ferocity and courage of a seasoned veteran.

"So James, where are you stationed now?" Shepard asked.

"On your old ship, on guard duty while the Normandy undergoes refits." James answered. "Once completed, I'll be assigned to the onboard Marine detail."

Before Shepard could say anything else, Anderson interrupted and told him the meeting was starting.

"Hey James, it was good seeing you." Shepard said.

"Same to you, _Commander_." James replied.

Shepard, Anderson, and Garcia made their way into the hearing room. Shepard had been brought in to confirm what the Committee already knew, the Reapers were on their way to Earth. About five minutes into the meeting, a very concerned staffer ran into the hearing room.

"Councilors, you need to see this!" she yelled.

Scenes of Reapers invading and the destruction they were causing played across all the monitors in the room. London, Berlin, Washington D.C., Moscow, and many other major cities had been hit. A deafening screech of a Reaper turned everyone's attention to the large window, where they could see a Reaper touching down a mile away.

"Dios mio" Garcia whispered, incredulously.

As it's laser began powering up, Shepard yelled, "Move!"

But before anyone had a chance to escape, the Reapers laser cut directly into the Alliance Headquarters. The power from the laser caused explosions all throughout the facility, and the hearing room wasn't spared. The force of the explosion flung Shepard into a wall, where he momentarily lost consciousness.

* * *

Tali was sitting at her desk on the Neema, trying to finish reading through the latest mission reports. Though she was aboard the Neema, the nameplate on her desk read 'Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy'. When Tali was recalled to the fleet, she refused to change her name. It was her only connection to Shepard, and she was going to hold onto it tightly. Tali had been elected admiral easily, the endorsements from the other four admirals definitely showed in the vote tallies. She knew the only reason she had gotten the endorsements was because she was an expert on the geth, and her expertise would be needed in the coming war. As Tali stared at the reports on her console, she couldn't help but be distracted. She had dreamed the night before about Shepard and herself walking together, hand in hand, along the lake in the Presidium. The longing her soul felt for him was especially strong that morning. Tali ached for Shepard every day, and as time went on it became more unbearable. It had been six months since she felt his skin on hers. Tali worried about how Shepard was handling his nightmares. But right now, she had the intense feeling of concern for him. Tali's soul felt that Shepard was in incredible danger.

 _Ancestors, please protect him_. she prayed.

* * *

Shepard slowly regained consciousness, hearing someone calling his name out repeatedly. As his vision returned, he realized it was Garcia calling him.

"Shepard, wake up!" Garcia yelled.

Shepard stumbled over to where Garcia was sitting down. He kneeled beside him, and only then realized Garcia had been impaled on an inch-thick strand of rebar. The rebar was sticking through his chest about six inches, and blood was rapidly pooling on his chest.

 _Jesus…_ Shepard thought. "It's alright Garcia, I'll get you out of here!" he yelled back, over the sound of alarms and roaring fire.

"No Shepard... I'm... past saving." Garcia grunted between slow, labored breaths. "I can't… move anything, I think I'm... paralyzed. And if you... get this rebar... out of me,... I'll just... bleed out faster. Take my pistol,... and get... the hell out of here."

Shepard took Garcia's pistol from his holster, but hesitated to leave him.

"Shepard... it's okay. Go!" Garcia pleaded, coughing up blood.

Reluctantly, Shepard left him and found Anderson on the other side of the hearing room. He turned back to look at Garcia, and saw his head had already slumped down.

It was as if Shepard had stepped directly into Hell. Everywhere around him was death and destruction, the Reaper invasion had been worse than he imagined. Anderson managed to radio the Normandy for extraction, Joker would pick them up at a nearby landing pad. As Shepard and Anderson ran along the rooftops, he noticed the carnage down below in the streets. Soldiers and civilians alike were being torn apart by Husks and shot dead by Cannibals. Shepard wanted to save them, but knew he could do more good if he rallied a galactic defense. So with a heavy heart, he had no choice but to leave them to their fate. The duo reached the landing pad, and waited for the Normandy. Fighting off waves of Husks and Cannibals, Shepard was dangerously low on ammo. Just as he fired his last bullet, the Normandy came screaming in. Shepard jumped into the Normandy's docking bay, where James and Kaidan were providing covering fire. Anderson however, refused to leave. He chose to stay behind and organize a resistance. When Shepard expressed that he wanted to stay too, Anderson ordered him to go and rally the galaxy. He could do nothing as he watched his mentor and father figure run back into Hell.

* * *

News of the attack on Earth spread fast throughout the galaxy. When the news reached the Migrant Fleet, the admirals were the first people notified. Tali had to excuse herself back to her office, she didn't want to break down in front of the other admirals. They hadn't found out about her relationship with Shepard yet, and her crying over the news of Earth would raise some suspicion. Tali sat down at her desk, folded her arms on the surface, and laid her head down on top of her arms. She was gripped with fear and worry, and couldn't help but sob. Tali had no idea if Shepard was alive or dead. She prayed to the Ancestors over and over, hoping they hadn't taken Shepard and begging them to allow him to return to her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I made some changes to Mass Effect 3 canon in this chapter, and I'll explain my reasoning.  
1\. I gave James Vega's role in the ME3 intro to Lieutenant Garcia because I thought it made more sense having a Alliance Security officer escorting Shepard rather than a random soldier.  
2\. I wrote that Vega was with Shepard on Elysium (which will be expanded upon later) because I think it's a much better connection to Shepard than the one presented in ME3. In fact, in the game, we have no idea what Vega's connection to Shepard is. There's no loyalty mission, so we the players are left to wonder.**


	20. Chapter 20: Complete

Shepard collapsed into his bed, utterly exhausted. The immense amount of stress from the past four months was pushing him dangerously close to his breaking point. Shepard closed his eyes, and ran through recent events in his mind. Four months ago, the Reapers invaded Earth. Shepard had barely escaped, but Joker always had a knack for daring rescues. Once safely away from Earth, Admiral Hackett had officially reinstated Shepard into the Alliance Navy. His rank of Commander was restored, and he was given back command of the Normandy. Hackett had never agreed with Shepard's punishment, and was glad to set things right. Shepard was an invaluable asset, after all, he was the unofficial expert on fighting Reapers. Hackett had ordered Shepard to Mars, where Liara had been working with a dig team and uncovered Prothean designs for a weapon to fight the Reapers with.

After that, Shepard had assumed the role of politician, which he absolutely loathed. Trying to get the different races to work together was a nightmare, everyone wanted something done for them before they would offer their help. It all started with the turians. Primarch Victus had demanded reinforcements to help defend their homeworld of Palaven. The only option for reinforcements was the krogan. When Shepard asked for help, Wrex, the de facto leader of Tuchanka, had demanded the genophage be cured first. Shepard had helped Mordin disperse his genophage cure over Tuchanka, but Mordin sacrificed his life in the process. With the genophage cured, only then did Wrex promise krogan troops to help defend Palaven. With reinforcements on the way, Victus then offered his support. Unfortunately, curing the genophage caused the salarian dalatrass to renege her support of the war effort.

 _I can see why Anderson got out of politics._ Shepard mused.

Though he hated it, Shepard could manage the politics. What was breaking him down, however, was physical and mental exhaustion. All the political favors required direct intervention on his part, which meant he and his squad was on the ground doing the heavy lifting. After each mission, his will to continue on was lessened. Shepard couldn't take the killing anymore. Watching good people die. There were times when he wanted to give up. But in those times, Shepard thought of Tali. If he gave up, she would die along with the rest of the galaxy. That was a powerful driving force, but also the responsibility of the entire galaxy resting on his shoulders was a tremendous mental burden. Had Tali been with him, his stress would've been washed away. Just her presence calmed and relaxed him. But Shepard hadn't seen Tali in nearly ten months, and their one year anniversary of dating was a month away.

 _Another anniversary missed_. Shepard thought sadly.

An incoming transmission from Admiral Hackett broke his train of thought. Hackett ordered Shepard to go to the Migrant Fleet and work on forging an alliance between the quarians and the Reaper defense coalition. He gladly accepted, going to the Migrant Fleet meant going to where Tali was. Shepard hadn't even been able to contact Tali during the past four months, every time he tried to send an email to her the address came up invalid. Soon, the aching his soul had for her would be remedied. They would finally be reunited, and hopefully never split apart ever again.

"Joker" Shepard radioed, "set a course for the Migrant Fleet."

"Aye aye, Commander" Joker replied.

The next day, the Normandy arrived at the Migrant Fleet. Shepard was in the Normandy's war room, preparing for a meeting with the Admiralty Board. As he was finishing up, the four quarian admirals walked into the war room. After pleasantries were exchanged, Shepard pointed out there were still only four admirals. Admiral Raan apologized for the absence of the fifth admiral, but promised she would be arriving shortly. Admiral Gerrel announced that yet again, a favor would be required of Shepard before support could be given. Direct intervention on his part would also, again, be required. Two and a half weeks earlier, the quarians had begun a war to retake their homeworld. They had managed to push the geth back to the quarian home system, but the advance had stalled there. A geth dreadnought was broadcasting a Reaper upgrade signal to all geth, and had to be destroyed in order to continue the push to Rannoch.

Admiral Raan stated that the newest admiral had volunteered to help destroy the dreadnought. The admiral then walked through the doors, and Shepard recognized her as his _inszel_. Tali walked towards the group, all the pent up emotions of the last ten months threatening to boil over. But she had to remain professional, and not give away her relationship with Shepard.

So all Tali managed to say was, "Shepard."

Shepard was in the exact same situation as Tali, and responded, "Tali."

After the meeting was over, the other admirals strategized while Shepard and Tali left the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Tali jumped into Shepard, wrapping her legs around him. They embraced each other tightly, tears of joy running down both their faces.

Tapping her visor to Shepard's forehead, Tali spoke first, "John! I missed you so much, don't ever leave me again. I was so worried when Earth was invaded, I didn't know if you were alive."

Shepard responded, "Tali, it was unbearable being away for so long. I'm so sorry you had to worry for four months. I tried to contact you after Earth, but your email address kept coming up invalid."

Tali knew the reason for the lack of communication, "No John, that was my fault. When I became an admiral I got a new address, and I lost your's as a result."

There initial emotions subsided a little, and Tali put her feet on the floor.

Still hugging, Shepard asked, "So, now that you're an admiral, do I have to salute you?"

He snapped to attention, and saluted with his right arm.

Tali giggled, "Only when I say so. Besides, it's mostly a formality. I'm an expert on the geth."

"That you are." Shepard complimented.

"I'm sorry I was so professional during the meeting." she apologized. "At least until this war is over, we have to keep things quiet in front of the admirals."

He saluted again, a slight grin on his face, "Understood, Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

Tali giggled again, and in a much more seductive tone, said, "I would like to discuss the attack plans in private, maybe you could… invite me up to your cabin?"

Shepard caught her meaning right away, and just as seductively, responded "Maybe I could."

"I have to finish strategizing with the admirals, call me up in an hour." She added. "That's an order, _Commander_."

Tali walked back into the war room, teasing Shepard by swinging her hips a little more than usual.

As soon as it had been an hour, Shepard was in his cabin and called Tali up over the intercom. Tali got there as quickly as possible, and walked hurriedly through the door. Before Shepard could greet her, she took off her visor. Almost hitting one of his model ships when she threw it aside, Tali pounced on Shepard. They stumbled back into his bed, with Shepard on his back and Tali straddling him. They were locked in a kiss much more intense than ever before. While they were kissing, Shepard heard Tali growl softly. He was reminded that Tali was, in fact, an alien.

"Tali, did you just growl?" Shepard asked, breaking the kiss.

Tali resumed kissing him, "Yes... now shut up... you _bosh'tet_." she answered between kisses.

As their tongues danced, their clothes began coming off. Tali practically tore off Shepard's fatigues, running her hands along the ridges of his muscles. Shepard was much more gentle, carefully removing her helmet. Once they were undressed, they made love with the intensity of ten months of pent up sexual desire being released.

An hour later, Tali was lying on top of Shepard, both dripping in sweat. Tali grudgingly got up, and walked around the cabin, collecting pieces of her suit. Shepard propped himself up on his elbows, and admired her naked body, loving every aspect. Her cute butt, long and slender legs, wide hips, thin waist, and her supple breasts turned him on like no other woman in the galaxy could.

"You're not going to join me in the shower?" Shepard asked.

Tali sighed, "I would love to, but I just can't be out of my suit that long without getting sick."

He grinned, "You mean you didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" she asked, puzzled.

Shepard pointed to the entryway. Just then Tali remembered. When she had first walked through the door, her desire was clouding her mind. Tali hadn't even noticed the other door that she had to wait to pass through.

She gasped, "You didn't!"

"I did, got it installed a few months ago on the Citadel". Shepard replied.

He had installed a decontamination airlock into the entryway to his cabin. The entire cabin was now completely sterilized.

EDI interrupted, "Tali, in addition to the decontamination airlock, I am constantly quadruple filtering the air in the cabin. The only microscopic particles in the vicinity will originate from inside either you or Commander Shepard."

Tali flew back into the bed and on top of Shepard, and kissed him deeply. She could now be out of her suit while in the cabin. She continued to kiss him even as her tears dripped onto his cheeks. Tali separated, and gently wiped her tears from his cheeks.

"John, I… I don't know what to say. Thank you, thank you so much."

"Tali, your happiness and freedom from your suit are thanks enough." He said, lovingly. "We will have to go clothes shopping at the Citadel, you can't just walk around naked."

"Oh?" Tali asked, playfully. "Are you sure about that?"

Shepard chuckled, "It's tempting, but I value your comfort more."

Tali laid down beside Shepard, and nestled in close to him. Their arms around each other, they relaxed in each other's embrace. As they both felt themselves drifting to sleep, Tali began to make a soft purring-like noise. Shepard was reminded again that Tali was, in fact, an alien.

"Tali, are you purring?" he asked.

Tali was surprised too, she had been doing it subconsciously.

"I was? Keelah, that means…" She drifted off. "John, that means we're bonded! You've reached _felz'tiyl_!"

"What is that?" Shepard asked, even more confused.

" _Felz'tiyl_ is the final stage in the bonding process. It means that our souls are now one. I've been in this stage for a while, you must've entered it too!" Tali practically squealed.

"So are we married now? By quarian standards?" Shepard questioned.

"Yes! We're lifemates, only death can break us apart now. We just need to have a ceremony to make it official." She suddenly became more somber, "Are you… are you okay with this? I'll understand if you're not I mean you're not even quarian so how can you be expected to abide by our customs and…"

Shepard stopped her nervous rambling with a kiss.

"Yes, Tali! You never have to doubt the love I have, and always will have, for you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He answered, staring into her eyes. "But how do you know I'm in _felz'tiyl_? Can I even bond with you fully? I'm a human after all."

Tali brightened back up again.

"John, I was making _felz'paas_. It means 'soul song'. It's a sound quarian women make only when they're alone with their lifemate." Tali explained. "And quarians can only be lifemates if both are in _felz'tiyl_. So since I was making _felz'paas_ , that must mean we're bonded."

"That makes a lot of sense now that you explain it, I missed you so much when I was away that it felt like my very soul ached." Shepard stated. "Now I know why, it's because I bonded with you. My soul wasn't complete anymore."

He kissed her passionately. Shepard was already going to propose to Tali, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But there was always doubt that he could actually bond with her, since he was a human. That he could never possibly love Tali as deeply as she loved him. Now, it was clear that Shepard had fully bonded with her.

"By the way" he added with a smile, "your _felz'paas_ was very cute."

Tali blushed, "And only you will ever hear it."

The newly bonded couple was content just looking into each other's eyes, their souls expressing the love of their bond better than words ever could. They eventually fell asleep holding each other, Tali's _felz'paas_ helping Shepard relax. Shepard felt safe, he felt secure, he felt loved, and he felt complete. For the first time in a long time, Shepard actually got a good night's sleep. Instead of dreaming of Harbinger, he dreamed of the future he would have with Tali.


	21. Chapter 21: No Rest for the Weary

Tali was awoken by the feeling of Shepard's lips on hers.

"Good morning, _inszel_." He said softly, smiling.

"Good morning, John." she replied, smiling as well. "By the way, _saera_ is the term lifemates use when talking with each other. It means 'my soul's soul'."

Shepard kissed her again, "Pardon me, Admiral Zorah."

"Hmm… what do to do with an incompetent Commander?" She wondered aloud, playfully. "Oh yes, I order you to shower with me."

"Of course, _saera_." Shepard replied, using the correct term.

After showering, Tali visibly pouted while putting her suit back on.

Shepard noticed, "Tali, just think, soon enough you'll be living on Rannoch. You won't need the suit anymore."

She left off her helmet and visor, she would put them on right before they left. Tali imagined her future on Rannoch.

"Speaking of the future, John, what do you see in our future?" she asked.

Shepard sat down on the bed, and motioned for Tali to sit next to him. He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Shepard replied, "I see you and me, holding hands, looking at our house on Rannoch. I see our children playing in the yard, and never doubting how much their parents love each other. I see them growing up in a safe and warm household, with two parents who love them dearly."

Tali's eyes began to tear up, but they weren't tears of happiness. The words 'our children' echoed in her mind.

Shepard, noticing Tali's breathing changing, asked, " _Saera_ , what's wrong."

She looked up at him, "John, you know I… I can never give you children."

He pulled her in close, and said comfortingly, "I know, Tali. I'm to blame too, I can never give you children either. Do quarians have a system for adoption?"

"Of course, but most often it's clans that adopt parentless children, not lifemates." Tali answered.

"Well, unfortunately, I think there will be a lot of parentless quarian children after the Reapers are defeated. And you and I can be the loving parents to a child who would otherwise grow up not knowing that love." Shepard said.

Tali perked up, "And we would love that child as if they were our own."

"Exactly, Tali. Though our DNA is incompatible, that doesn't mean we can't have children,we can have a family of our own." Shepard continued.

Tali kissed Shepard, he always knew how to comfort her.

 _Thank you, Ancestors_. she prayed. _Why did I get so lucky?_ "And John, I see the same exact future for us as you do."

But all that would have to wait. First, Shepard and Tali had to end this war. Second, they had to defeat the Reapers.

Tali suddenly remembered, "Keelah... John, I never went back to the Fleet with the admirals yesterday! They must know something is up."

EDI interrupted, "Tali, yesterday I informed the admirals that you we're preparing for the attack on the geth dreadnought with Commander Shepard. An hour after they left, I altered the Neema's docking logs to make it appear as if you arrived back in one of the Normandy's shuttles. I also placed your omnitool signal in your private quarters aboard the Neema, and anyone wishing to meet with you was met with a message that you were 'Otherwise occupied at the moment and wished not to be disturbed'. Only two people tried to contact you, and based on their omnitool data, believed the deception. I'm currently altering the Neema's docking logs to make it appear as if you are currently in transit to the Normandy in one of our shuttles."

Tali was very grateful, "Thank you, EDI."

EDI responded, "It was my pleasure, Tali. My sensors show that Commander Shepard's stress levels are significantly reduced when he's in your presence, and are reduced even more after engaging in intimate contact."

"Um… thank you… EDI." Shepard replied awkwardly.

As Shepard was preparing for the mission on the geth dreadnought, he needed to pick his squad. Tali was an obvious choice, her combat engineering skills were unmatched. Shepard normally chose Garrus, but he was occupied performing calibrations on the Normandy's Thanix cannon. Since they were flying into the middle of an active battle, the Normandy might need to fight it's way out if detected by the geth. Shepard took the opportunity to pick James to complete his squad. It would be a great opportunity to gauge his combat skills, considering Shepard hadn't fought with him in nearly ten years. James had been present on other missions with other fire squads, but he never had been with Shepard. Also, James was the only specialist who didn't know about Shepard and Tali's relationship. They decided to have some fun with him before telling him.

The squad was in the Normandy's airlock, preparing to board the dreadnought. So far they had remained undetected, Shepard wanted to keep it that way.

"Alright, once we're aboard we find whatever is broadcasting that signal and shut it down." Shepard stated. "James, Tali is our expert on geth software. She'll be handling hacking and security."

"Nice to meet you, Sparks." James greeted.

"Sparks?" Tali asked.

James replied, "Yeah, you got lights in your…"

Tali folded her arms.

James stumbled on, "Uh… And you're kinda small and jumpy… it just came out."

"If you say so." Tali said.

"Don't worry, Tali. James gives nicknames to everyone." Shepard explained. "He started calling me 'Loco' on Elysium, and it stuck even ten years later."

EDI interrupted, saying that there was only one docking tube they could use to board. Shepard volunteered to board first.

Once he secured the docking tube, James and Tali boarded. Shepard winked at her, his sign to start having fun with James. Tali walked over to Shepard, swinging her hips more than usual.

In a flirtatious tone, Tali said to Shepard, "Thank you for having me over."

"Well, I don't actually know where I'm going." Shepard replied.

In the same tone, Tali added, "Hmm, I'll see what I can do."

 _Wow, Sparks and Loco are pretty 'friendly'. Could they be… no… could they?_ James thought.

Continuing through the ship, Shepard winked at Tali again.

She spoke up, in a sultry tone, "I appreciate what you're doing here, Shepard."

"Well, I care deeply about the quarian people." he responded.

Tali continued, "It's good to be back on the Normandy."

Shepard's tone became more flirtatious, "Let me know if it's too quiet for you to sleep, and I'll find you someplace louder."

"Hmm." Tali added.

 _Alright, there's definitely something going on here._ James thought. "Okay… what am I missing?"

Shepard switched to his private channel with Tali, "Should we tell him?"

Tali answered, "No, this is too much fun!"

Suddenly EDI came up on the group channel, "Shepard and Tali became physically intimate during their fight against the Collectors."

Both Shepard and Tali facepalmed, or as close to a facepalm as possible with helmets on.

"Too much information." James said, although he did pat Shepard on the back.

"Thank you, EDI." Shepard said sarcastically.

Moving deeper into the ship, the trio came across an elevator. On their way up, a geth unit fired a rocket at it and scored a direct hit. While Tali and James got off easily, the elevator dropped before Shepard could run off. He jumped to the ledge, and began slipping.

"Shepard! Grab my hand!" Tali yelled.

She pulled him up, and hugged him tightly, "Keelah, I thought I'd lost you."

Shepard tried to play it off, "You were worried?"

Though she was a bit surprised with Shepard's reaction, Tali was able to calm down.

She answered, "You bet I was. You dying because the geth overrode my hack? Think of my reputation!"

The team eventually came across where the signal was being broadcast from. They found Legion trapped, the Reapers using it to broadcast the signal. They rescued Legion, and disabled the dreadnought in the process. Admiral Gerrel took the opportunity to open fire upon the dreadnought, with the squad still aboard. The team barely managed to escape with their lives, and Shepard had some strong words with Gerrel when they returned to the Normandy. Tali told the rest of the admirals that she was staying aboard the Normandy until they retook the homeworld, in order to assist Shepard.

Shepard and Tali made their way to the cabin, and Tali immediately tore off her suit. She left the portions that covered her chest and hips, she still didn't have any clothes. Shepard admired her nonetheless.

"So, what did you think of James?" he asked.

She sat down on his lap, and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck.

"He's a great squad member, but 'Sparks'? Really?" She giggled.

"Yeah, I know." Shepard chuckled. "But he's a good guy, and means well."

"So he was with you on Elysium?" Tali inquired.

Shepard answered, "Yeah, he had just been added to my squad. You know what happened on Elysium, right?"

"Of course, John! You thought I wouldn't know I was bonded to the Hero of Elysium?" Tali responded, and playfully slapped him on the chest.

"Ouch!" he yelled, sarcastically. "That was such a long time ago, I wasn't sure if people still remembered what happened."

Shepard and Tali didn't have to meet with the admirals again until tomorrow, so they had the rest of the night to themselves. Tali was fiddling with some circuit boards at her desk, and Shepard was writing reports, which actually consisted of him watching 'Saving Private Ryan'. It was one of his favorite Earth movies, and the final battle scene reminded him of Elysium a little. Shepard had used similar tactics as the soldiers in the movie.

It was getting late, and both decided they needed some sleep. Their close call on the dreadnought had shaken them, and they needed to sleep off the stress. Shepard put on a plain t-shirt and athletic shorts and laid down on the bed. Tali nestled in close to him, and began to _felz'paas_. Her purr was so adorable, and he was glad only he would ever hear it. Before they fell asleep, they got an urgent message from the Admiralty Board. The ship Admiral Koris had been on crash landed on Rannoch, and he and his crew were surrounded by hostile geth. They could hold them off for now, but not for much longer. Shepard and Tali leapt out of bed, got dressed, and hurried down to the shuttle. Garrus was already there waiting for them. They were on the surface of Rannoch within the hour.

During their descent, two AA guns threatened to blow the shuttle out of the sky. They were protecting a jamming tower that had blocked communications with Admiral Koris. Cortez dropped off the squad about half a kilometer away. As the squad headed towards the AA guns, the came across the bodies of most of Koris' crew.

"Keelah…" Tali said, pain in her voice. "Find peace with the Ancestors."

The AA guns were heavily defended. The squad soon found themselves pinned down by geth gunfire. Shepard noticed a turret nearby, and called on Tali to create a distraction. Tali activated Chatika, and the drone hassled the geth. Their attention diverted momentarily, Shepard sprinted to the turret. He thinned the geth forces significantly, and the squad easily mopped up what was left.

After Shepard's squad disabled the two AA guns, Cortez destroyed the jamming tower using the shuttle's weapons. They made contact with Koris, who explained the geth had cut him off from the rest of his crew. He urged Shepard to rescue the crew, but Shepard needed Koris alive if there was to be any chance of peace. He persuaded Koris to upload his location, and the shuttle flew to him. Koris was pinned down by advancing geth, and Cortez couldn't find a spot nearby to land. Shepard manned the mounted turret, and began mowing down the geth troopers. Under Shepard's covering fire, Koris was able to retreat to the shuttle. Without wasting any time, Cortez piloted the shuttle back to the safety of the Migrant Fleet.


	22. Chapter 22: To the Rescue

Tomorrow was the day. Finally, after nearly 300 years of exile, the quarian people would return to Rannoch. While the geth dreadnought had been destroyed, it was actually acting as a booster for the Reaper signal. The origin of the signal was a Reaper base on the surface of Rannoch. If that could be taken out, the geth combat effectiveness would drop dramatically. The Fleet could then move in and easily destroy the geth armada surrounding Rannoch. Shepard and Tali had been in the war room with the admirals all day, meticulously planning out every detail of the final assault. Shepard's squad just had to take out the signal, and the Migrant Fleet would handle the rest. Tali was very nervous, this would be the most dangerous mission yet of the campaign. But she was also ecstatic, only one more obstacle stood in the way of her people and the homeworld. After planning for nearly 12 hours, the plan was set. Every detail finalized, every objective assigned, everything was prepared.

While the rest of the admirals headed back to the fleet, Shepard and Tali retired to their cabin. Seeing that it was just past 21:00, they both decided to get some rest before the big mission. Tali removed her suit, save for the sections that covered more intimate areas, and Shepard began getting into his usual sleeping apparel. He put on his shorts, and felt Tali wrap her arms around him before he put on his t-shirt.

"Don't put your shirt on just yet, that's an order." she said jokingly. "You get to admire my uncovered body whenever I take off my suit. Now it's my turn."

"I wonder if it's an abuse of power to order a subordinate officer to be shirtless?" Shepard wondered aloud, in the same joking manner.

"It might be, but that order came from your _saera_ , not an admiral." Tali replied.

She ran her fingers over the ridges of his muscles, but she paused over every scar. She inquired about how he acquired each of them, and he explained the cause of each one. After examining the ones on his chest and stomach, she moved to his back.

"These aren't scars, they're marks on your back. What are they from, they look fresh?" Tali asked.

Shepard chuckled, "Those… those are from you. Your fingernails are sharper than they look."

Tali blushed intensely, she remembered digging her fingers into his back when they made love after their ten month separation.

"Keelah… I'm sorry. I was… um... too focused on other things to notice how hard I was digging into you." she apologized.

Shepard kissed her, "Don't be sorry, it was actually really hot knowing you were… enjoying it so much."

Tali eventually made her way to his head, and asked about the scar on his scalp that prevented hair from growing there.

"I took some shrapnel on Elysium, a piece of metal dug itself in pretty deep right there." Shepard told her.

Tali remembered a scar she saw the last time they made love, and pulled up his shorts to reveal a scar on his thigh.

"Sniper shot, again on Elysium. Luckily the round passed right through." Shepard explained.

Tali looked around at the back of his thigh, and sure enough, there was a scar from the exit wound.

"I think that bastard was aiming for my manhood, and thankfully missed." he joked.

Tali laughed, but did notice how close it was to his crotch, so there might've been some truth to his joke. She was finished with her inspection, and led Shepard to the bed. They laid down and snuggled in close together.

"John, tell me about Elysium." Tali asked. "I've watched the vids and read the news articles, but I want to hear from your perspective."

Shepard thought for a moment, "Of course, although it is a long story. And the vids don't show the full story, what actually happened there."

He took a second to gather his thoughts, and began the story.

* * *

Sergeant John Shepard was sitting in an Alliance shuttle with his squad. He was nervous, not so much about the mission, but about being squad leader. He had just been promoted from corporal to sergeant, and this was his first mission as squad leader. He was only 22 at the time, and wasn't sure if he was ready to lead marines into combat yet. The previous squad leader, Sergeant McDaniels, had been killed during their last mission. Shepard couldn't think of a person better suited to lead their squad. He had been an honorable soldier, who wanted nothing more than to protect those under his command and get them home safe. McDaniels died doing just that, he jumped on a grenade in order to save the rest of the squad. Shepard knew he could never replace him, and only hoped to be the type of squad leader McDaniels would want him to be.

Sitting next to him was 18-year-old Private James Vega, the newest member of the squad. He had just graduated from marine boot camp, and was eager to prove himself in combat. Though James sounded confident, Shepard was skeptical about how he would actually perform under fire. In his experience, the cocky marines were always the first to breakdown when the bullets started flying. But Shepard would give him a fair chance. Although his self-confidence bordered on hubris, he was an all-around good guy. James had given everyone in the platoon a nickname, his sign of friendship. Although he hadn't come up with one for Shepard yet. It was entertaining watching him try to hit on every woman in the company, so far he had gotten denied every time. Though Shepard kind of felt sorry for him, it was actually a little funny.

Sitting across from James was 20-year-old Private First Class Alexei Petrov. James and Alexei were the only ones from Earth, and Alexei was from Russia. His accent made that pretty obvious. On base, Alexei had the greatest sense of humor. He would always crack jokes and make fun of others, but always in good fun. He was the type of guy who wanted to be friends with everyone, and everyone wanted to be friends with. When he wasn't making people laugh, Alexei was always available to talk with or listen to anyone. It was obvious he had a huge heart, and cared about his friends. During missions, however, he flipped a switch and became as serious as anyone. Although, he would slip in some wisecracks and one liners while in combat, just to lighten the atmosphere a little.

Sitting across from Shepard was 22-year-old Corporal Emma Young. She had been with Shepard since boot camp, and was his closest friend in the squad. Emma had grown up on Mindoir also, although she hadn't lost her family like Shepard had. Being the only ones from Mindoir in their boot camp class, they became friends after talking about home together. They were the only two original squad members left, everyone else from the boot camp squad had been killed. Though, Alexei could've been considered an original member, he joined them after their first mission. In a lot of ways, Emma was like Tali. She was kind, sweet, caring, strong, loyal, and many other admirable characteristics. Emma was also a hell of a marine. She never faltered under pressure, and knew how to get the job done. Shepard believed she should've been put in charge of the squad, but he had the highest rank, so he was chosen.

* * *

Tali imagined what Shepard's old squadmates would've been like, and thought she would've gotten along well with them, except Emma. Even though she had never met her, she was jealous. The thought of Shepard being that close to another woman stoked the jealously deep inside Tali. This was a normal reaction for quarians, who were fiercely territorial when it came to their bondmates. Shepard was hers, and she would fight any woman for him.

"It sounds like you were pretty close to Emma, did you two ever date?" She asked, trying not to sound jealous, but failing.

Shepard chuckled, "No, Tali, we never did. Our relationship was more like brother and sister, no romantic interests."

Hearing that made Tali feel better, but she still didn't like Emma.

He continued, "She had a boyfriend, actually. He was a fighter pilot, stationed on a dreadnought in the Second Fleet."

That made Tali feel even better.

"Though us marines always got the glory, those fighter pilots always got the girls. Who would you rather have?" Shepard asked. "The dirty, sweaty, bloody marine, or the clean, suave fighter pilot with perfect hair?"

Tali giggled and said sarcastically, "Oh, the fighter pilot for sure. I'm still upset I had to settle and bond with a marine."

Shepard rolled on top of Tali and began tickling her. She was extremely ticklish due to her being in her suit for most her life, and Shepard knew exactly where she was most ticklish. She yelped and laughed uncontrollably, trying to wriggle herself free from his grasp.

"John! Keelah, stop! _Bosh'tet_! Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" she screamed in between laughs.

Shepard relented, and Tali smacked him on the arm playfully.

"Emma and I never did that." Shepard said, grinning.

"Good, you do that with any other woman and I'll get my shotgun." Tali responded jokingly, but with a hint of seriousness.

"I wouldn't dream of it, _saera_." Shepard promised. "Besides, Emma wasn't really my type."

"Really?" Tali asked, the jealousy almost gone.

"Of course, she wasn't you." Shepard answered, love in his voice.

Tali felt tears welling in her eyes, and kissed Shepard passionately. With that, Tali no longer saw Emma as a threat, the jealousy was gone. She wanted to meet the rest of Shepard's old squadmates, especially Alexei because he sounded so funny.

"Anyway, back to the story." Shepard said.

* * *

Shepard's shuttle was one of 15 shuttles taking Delta Company to their objective. The sixty Marines were ordered to defend a medium-sized settlement which was right in the path of the advancing batarians. Their objective was to hold off the batarians and protect the civilians until the Alliance Navy Second Fleet could arrive. The fleet was currently mobilizing on Earth, and would arrive at Elysium in approximately three days. Until then, Delta Company had no reinforcements. The marine division Shepard was in had already been stationed on Elysium, and was the only division in the Alliance military on the planet. They had been stretched incredibly thin trying to halt the batarian advance. The closest unit would be 50 kilometers away. Delta Company had to hold the line, or the civilians would be killed or captured.

As the shuttles neared the settlement, the local militia was already fighting batarians. The militia had just been formed a few days ago, and none of the fighters had military training. The shuttles strafed the attacking force, and caused the batarians to retreat.

As the shuttle was descending, Shepard yelled to his squad, "Alright Marines, these colonists are depending on us! Let's show these batarians bastards why you don't mess with Alliance Marines!"

Emma, Alexei, and James all yelled back "Oorah!"

The shuttle landed, and the squad rushed out. The squad came across the militia fighters, all looking weary and scared. They brightened up when they realized Alliance Marines had come.

"Don't worry, the cavalry's here!" James said.

"Damn, I was going to say that!" Alexei mock complained.

"Come on squad, let's link up with the rest of Second Platoon." Shepard ordered.

They assembled with the rest of Second Platoon, led by Lieutenant Matthews.

"Listen up, second platoon!" Matthews called out. "We're going to take up defensive positions in the outskirts of the settlement. Intel shows the batarians are hunkered down one kilometer to the north of the settlement, and will most likely attack from the north. First platoon will take the left flank, third on the right, and second in the center. Move out!."

Matthews ordered Shepard's squad to be on the left flank of second platoon. They dug foxholes on the northern edge of the settlement. Shepard and Emma in one, and Alexei and James in the other about five yards away. About 100 yards to his left, Shepard could see the right flank of first platoon.

 _60 marines to defend a square mile of land, we're stretched way too thin_. Shepard observed.

"Hey Sergeant! Why do you get to share a foxhole with Emma while I'm stuck with James?" Alexei called out.

James added, "Yeah, if I'm getting comfy with someone in a foxhole I don't want it to be a guy!"

"I'm with Shepard because he's cute, I'd only share a foxhole with you ugly bastards in your dreams!" Emma answered.

All four broke into laughter, and Shepard tried hard not to blush. With their defenses set up, all the squad could do was wait for the batarians to launch another attack.

* * *

Tali interrupted, "You shared a foxhole with her?!".

All the jealousy flared back up again.

"Tali, she had a boyfriend, remember?" Shepard answered. "It's not like we were snuggling or anything, there was a good two feet between us. Also, she would've kicked my ass if I got too friendly."

Tali hugged him a little tighter, and nestled her head into his shoulder.

"Still, I just don't like the thought of you that close to another woman." she explained.

Shepard kissed her deeply, "Tali, you're the only woman I'll ever snuggle with."

She smiled and kissed him back.

He continued, "So we were in our foxholes, waiting for the batarians to attack. The sun set, and night was upon us. Then all hell broke loose."

* * *

 **Author's Note: It wasn't my plan to leave this chapter with a cliffhanger, but there's so much about Elysium I want to write about. It wouldn't fit in one chapter, so in the next chapter we'll find out how Shepard became the 'Hero of Elysium'.**


	23. Chapter 23: Hero of Elysium - Part One

**Author's Note: I want to apologize for the delay in releasing this chapter. I tried to fit the rest of Shepard's experience on Elysium into one chapter, but didn't like how the original draft turned out. So I rewrote it from scratch, but that too was unsatisfactory. So I decided to split Elysium into two more chapters, and rewrote this chapter again. It took awhile, but I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Sergeant Shepard was lying in his foxhole, scanning the field in front of him. The infrared vision on his helmet's heads up display showed no heat signatures.

 _All quiet, for now at least_. he thought.

All the civilians had been evacuated a few hours before, after the shuttles had refueled and travelled back from the base. Emma was sleeping a few feet away from him, in a position which looked about as comfortable as one could get in a foxhole. Shepard glanced over to his right, and saw Alexei in the foxhole a few yards away. He too was scanning the field, and James was snoring loudly. Shepard smirked, glad that at least James was getting a good night's sleep. He put his hand to his ear to activate his helmet's comm, and radioed Alexei.

"Alexei, how you holding up over there?" Shepard asked.

Alexei replied, "Not good, Sergeant, I forgot my hot sauce."

Shepard barely stifled a laugh, remembering the time Alexei fell asleep while on guard duty. Sergeant McDaniels had tore him a new hole, and Shepard suggested jokingly that he should put hot sauce in his eyes to help stay awake. The funny thing was, the crazy bastard actually did it, and it worked. From then on, he always carried a small bottle of hot sauce with him on missions.

"If you fall asleep I'll make sure the batarians are the least of your problems." Shepard joked.

"Don't worry, Sergeant, James' snoring will keep me awake." Alexei quipped. "That, or he'll alert the batarians to our position and the gunfire will keep me awake."

* * *

"Did he really put hot sauce in his eyes?" Tali asked. "No, you're lying".

Tali, per Joker's suggestion, had once added a bit of hot sauce to her food paste to add flavor. She instantly regretted it, and hurriedly drank a whole liter of water to get rid of the taste. Joker had burst out laughing that his practical joke had worked, and Shepard secretly had been amused. She couldn't imagine anyone putting that stuff in their eyes.

"Tali, I swear to the good Lord above, I'm not lying." Shepard defended while laughing. "I saw him do it numerous times."

Tali believed him, and burst out laughing after Shepard imitated Alexei's reaction every time he did it. Now she really wanted to meet him.

* * *

A few minutes after Shepard had checked up on Alexei, at about 00:15, he picked up numerous heat signatures on his HUD. The signatures were about 50 meters ahead of the platoon's position, and were slowly advancing over a ridge.

"Alexei, are you picking up these heat signatures?" Shepard asked quickly.

"Affirmative, I'm counting at least 30." Alexei responded.

Shepard instantly switched to platoon comms.

He radioed, "Lieutenant Matthews, I'm reading over 30 heat signatures advancing towards our position."

Matthews responded, "I'm reading them too, it's the batarians. Platoon, wake everyone up and get ready to fire on my mark."

Shepard woke up Emma and explained the situation to her, and Alexei did the same with James. The whole platoon was preparing for the ambush, and Matthews radioed for the other platoons to be alert. Shepard kept checking the distance of the closest heat signature on his HUD. 30 meters. He gripped his assault rifle tightly. 20 meters. Shepard sent a quick prayer to heaven. 10 meters. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

Matthews voice came over every marine's comm, "Open fire!"

In an instant, the quiet of the night was shattered by the thunderous roar of 20 assault rifles. Shepard picked out the closest batarian to him, and fired until he dropped. The rest of the squad did the same, as they had been trained to do when setting an ambush. Now, the batarian force was made up of pirates and slavers, not trained soldiers. The eruption of gunfire had blinded the batarians, who panicked in the chaos. They began firing wildly, just trying to put up some sort of defense. No ambush-defense tactics were used, it was just desperate men trying to survive. The lack of a coherent command structure meant that every batarian was left to fend for himself. No one was giving orders, and everyone was confused and scared. A lethal combination. The marines made quick work of them, suffering zero casualties. Within a few minutes, the quiet of the night had returned.

The marines had survived Day One, the Alliance Second Fleet would be arriving tomorrow night. When the sun rose six hours later, they emerged from their foxholes to assess the situation. The marines discovered 35 batarian corpses scattered across the platoon defensive line. The platoon searched each body, checking for any survivors. They found none. Based on the size of the batarian force and the lack of another attack, Shepard correctly surmised that it had been a recon force. By now, the batarian command had accepted that the recon force wasn't returning. While they were only pirates and slavers, they weren't stupid. The recon force had been ordered to infiltrate the settlement from the north, but there had been no confirmation that they made it to the settlement. That meant they ran into opposition on the northern outskirts of the settlement. The batarian commanders agreed upon a new plan of attack. A much stronger force would divide into two smaller forces and attempt to surround the enemy. They would attack from both sides, and hopefully overrun the marines.

At 12:30 on Day Two, Lieutenant Matthews came over to Shepard's foxhole.

"Sergeant Shepard, Captain is worried that the batarians will try to flank us now that they know our position. He ordered each platoon to send out a squad to recon the east, west, and south ends of the settlement. I'm choosing your squad for recon, Second platoon was assigned the south end." he ordered.

"Roger that, is recon our only objective?" Shepard asked.

Matthews answered, "Negative, your secondary objective is to establish a defensive position. Since we can't divert any more marines from our frontal defense, you won't get any reinforcements unless you engage the enemy. Understood?"

"Understood, sir." Shepard replied. "Squad, let's move out."

Shepard's squad moved through the settlement towards the southern end. As they walked past abandoned prefab after abandoned prefab, each member got uneasy feeling. Homes that had once been filled with happiness and life were now deserted. However, it gave the squad a good reminder why they were here. They were here so that these prefabs might once again be filled with life. The squad reached the southern side without incident, and took up a defensive position. Two squad members occupied the two outermost prefabs that were on the main road leading into the settlement. Shepard and James were in one, Alexei and Emma in the other. If the batarians planned on entering from the south on the main road, they would get caught in a deadly crossfire. After half an hour, they still hadn't seen a single batarian. All of a sudden, gunfire from a small skirmish could be heard. In a few minutes, it was over.

Matthews came over the comm, "Be alert, Shepard. We've lost contact with the recon squad on the east side. Stay put, but expect company."

Just after Shepard radioed back, more gunfire erupted. This wasn't the sound of a small skirmish, this was an all out attack.

Shepard radioed the platoon, "Matthews, what's happening?"

Matthews responded, "Shepard, we're under attack! The batarians have us surrounded, they cut through the east side. Fall back and try to break through!"

Shepard ordered his squad back to the north side. They advanced down the main road, scanning every building for hostiles. They passed the center of the settlement, trying to get back to the north side quickly but carefully. As they exited the center square, they ran head on into a platoon of batarians. The squad opened fire and fell back behind a stone fountain. The batarians had taken cover about 30 meters in front of them, on the edge of the square. The squad tried to advance, but quickly discovered they were pinned down.

Shepard radioed Matthews, "Matthews, we're pinned down in the center square! We can't cut off the batarians!"

There was no answer for a moment, but then the voice of Sergeant Moore came up.

Heavy gunfire could be heard in the background as he responded, "Shepard, Matthews is dead! First platoon's been overrun, and Third and Second are taking heavy casualties. We can't hold out for much longer."

"Just hang on, Moore, we'll try to link up with the other recon squad and push through!" Shepard said.

Moore replied, "Negative, don't risk it! Just fall back and…"

The comm went dead.

Shepard popped up and quickly took out two batarians.

He switched to company comms, "This is Shepard, is anyone still alive?"

A corporal answered, "Shepard, it's Yang, our recon squad is falling back to your position."

"Yang... come in from the south. Batarians are closing in... from everywhere else." Shepard replied, in between bursts from his assault rifle.

Ten minutes later, the four marines of the other recon squad arrived in the square. They took cover behind the same fountain. Yang crouched down next to Shepard. He fired a burst from his assault rifle, killing a batarian.

"Shepard, we took down some batarians trying to flank you from the west on our way here!" Yang stated. "I imagine they're trying to do the same from the east."

Shepard popped up and dropped another batarian.

"We need to fall back, there's only eight of us and who knows how many of them! Have your squad pull back to the edge of the square and we'll follow. Each squad will provide covering fire for the other." he ordered.

Yang nodded, and alerted the rest of his squad. Shepard gave the signal, and his squad all stood up and laid down covering fire. Yang and his squad rushed back behind a wall on the edge of the square.

"Go, Shepard!" he yelled.

Shepard ordered his squad to fall back, but he stayed a moment longer to provide more covering fire.

A single batarian entered an empty prefab on the east side of the center square. He looked out the window and saw three marines running to the south edge. He aimed his assault rifle and fired a long burst.

Shepard spun around and began running to the wall. He turned just in time to see Emma being struck by four bullets and falling to the ground.

 _No!_ Shepard screamed internally.

But he didn't have time to grieve. Shepard quickly looked to where the shots came from, and promptly put five rounds into the batarian that had killed Emma. He ran over to her, grabbed a strap on her armor, and dragged Emma's lifeless body to the wall.

* * *

"It was the first time I lost someone under my command." Shepard said. "It hit me hard, but my instincts and training overruled my emotions."

Tali felt awful, just half an hour before she had been incredibly jealous of Emma. A woman she never even met, and disliked her simply for being close to Shepard. Emma had been his friend, and had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect Elysium.

"Keelah, John… I'm so sorry. There's nothing you could've done, you made the right call." Tali whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"Thanks, Tali. I know I made the right call, we would've been surrounded had we not pulled back." Shepard replied. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But every loss hits you hard, even the one's where there was nothing you could've done."

Tali understood that feeling, she felt it when she lost her teams on Freedom's Progress and Haestrom. They both hugged each other tighter, and Tali nestled in closer to Shepard.

She began stroking his arm, and spoke softly, "You are a great leader, you care so much about those you command."

Shepard kissed the top of her head, "That means alot coming from you."

She looked up and kissed him. He then continued the story.

* * *

Until sundown, the seven marines were in a repeating pattern of taking cover, firing on advancing batarians, and then pulling back before the fighting got too intense. It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but the mouse was in control of the situation. Since the batarians lacked combat experience and tactics, they weren't able to keep the pressure on the marines. This continued into the night. The weather turned for the worse, a thunderstorm rolled in. The marines used the darkness and rain to their advantage. They had thermal vision, and the rain covered up the sound of their movements. With their newfound advantage, the marines started using hit-and-run attacks on the batarians. This caused a great deal of confusion for the batarians, and a big headache for their commanders. The marines would attack a section of the settlement, and by the time reinforcements could arrive, they were already gone. By midnight, the batarians had lost almost 75% of their original force over the course of the past two days. Shepard, his squad, and four other marines survived Day Two. They were all that was left of Alliance forces, but the Second Fleet would be arriving in less than 16 hours.


	24. Chapter 24: Hero of Elysium - Part Two

"We harassed the batarians throughout the night." Shepard stated. "They were so disorganized they couldn't effectively respond. We let ourselves start to have hope that we we're going to make it out alive. Alexei was even starting to make jokes."

He started gently running his fingers up and down Tali's arm, feeling her soft skin. Tali reveled in the sensations his touch sent through her, and responded with a kiss. She then rolled herself over and on top of him, and just looked deep into his eyes. Shepard looked back, her luminescent eyes were mesmerizing.

Tali spoke next, "So did the seven of you just keep harassing them until the Alliance Navy showed up?"

Suddenly, the warmth of his eyes vanished.

 _Oh Keelah, it got worse…_ Tali thought.

Shepard was still looking at her eyes, but it was as if he was looking through them. Almost like he was focused on some unknown object a thousand miles away.

Still staring off, Shepard answered, "No, it got even worse. All of us were almost to our breaking point, but what happened next almost pushed me past mine."

He paused for what seemed like an eternity, the memories flashing through his head.

Tali broke the eerie silence, "John… what happened?"

* * *

The seven marines had found themselves back in the outskirts of the center square. It was almost 06:00, the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon. They had spent the entire night launching quick hit-and-run attacks against the batarians, to great success. But something felt off, they hadn't seen a single batarian in the past half an hour. Shepard was concerned that an ambush was being set up, so he ordered the marines to clear out the center square and surrounding prefabs. Once cleared, they would occupy the houses in pairs, setting up a counter-ambush. The batarian commanders were getting desperate. They had lost an additional 10% of their men during the rest of the night. Shepard's attacks had been extremely effective, and the commanders decided to end the fight right now. They had lost too many men to keep up their current strategy. Instead of an ambush, the batarians had something much worse planned for the marines.

Shepard was with James in one of the prefabs near the center square. They were on the lookout for any advancing batarians. Shepard had so far been very impressed with James' combat prowess, and admitted to himself that he had been wrong about him. James hadn't broken down, he followed every order, and eliminated hostiles with efficiency. Alexei, Yang, and Yang's three squadmates were finishing up clearing the center square. Just then, Shepard heard a large explosion near the southern edge of the settlement. It was followed closely by another, and another. He quickly ran over to the doorway, which faced south, with James close behind. Shepard's eyes widened in shock. To his dismay, he saw a batarian cruiser had descended from orbit. The AA guns had come to life, and were pelting away at the ship. Shepard guessed the cruiser could withstand a few minutes of fire before it had to ascend back into the safety of space. The ship was firing all its cannons at the entire settlement, and the explosions were rapidly coming their way.

"Incoming artillery! Get out of the square!" Shepard yelled into the comms, terror in his voice.

Immediately, Alexei, Yang, and the others sprinted for whichever prefab was closest to them. Even though the structures could provide little protection from artillery, they were much safer than being out in the open. While they couldn't withstand a direct hit, they offered cover from shrapnel and shockwaves.

Shepard shouted again, "Get to a prefab! Go!"

Shepard and James got out of the doorway, and took shelter. He could still see out the door, and saw Alexei bolting towards them. About 25 meters behind him, the force of an explosion threw a marine like a ragdoll into the air. Shepard saw another blast a few feet from a marine, and she was instantly torn apart. Yang and his last squad member made it safely to a prefab, only for the cruiser to score a direct hit on it moments later. Shrapnel and debris burst out of the windows and door, and Shepard knew they were dead.

James yelled into the comm, "Run, Alexei! Run!"

Both Shepard and James were leaning out of the doorway, motioning with their hands for him to come to them, as if that motion would make him run faster.

* * *

"I've been in numerous battles, countless firefights. But nothing has ever been as terrifying as being on the ground and targeted by a ship's cannons." Shepard confessed. "The feeling of complete helplessness is what stuck with me the most. When facing an enemy directly, you can fight back. But in that situation, there was nothing I could do."

Tali pulled him in close, to remind him that he was in his bed with her, safe. She gently stroked the back of his head with her hand, running her fingers over his short hair. Shepard let out a deep sigh, and continued with the story.

* * *

When Alexei was about ten feet from the doorway, a shell impacted about five feet behind him. The force of the explosion propelled him up and he crashed into the outside wall of the prefab with a sickening thud. Alexei landed on his back on the ground outside. As Shepard saw these events transpire in front of him, it was like time had slowed down. He saw the shell explode behind Alexei, sending out dirt and shrapnel. He saw Alexei get lifted off the ground, his arms flailing wildly. Shepard heard Alexei crash into the wall, and land on the ground.

"Alexei!" he screamed.

Shepard knew he should stay inside the prefab, if he ran outside he would be exposed. However, he couldn't just leave him out there. That was his friend out there, and Shepard knew Alexei wouldn't leave him.

Against his better judgement, Shepard ran into the hell that was outside. He saw Alexei lying on his back in a large pool of his own blood. Shepard grabbed Alexei by the straps on his shoulders.

James noticed, and yelled into the comm, "Shepard! Are you _loco_?"

To Shepard's horror, he found that both of Alexei's legs had been blown off about halfway down the thigh. He began to drag Alexei back into the prefab, leaving a trail of blood behind him. As Shepard was pulling Alexei up the steps and inside, and explosion about 20 meters away sent shrapnel in his direction. A thin piece of metal about the size of a golfball impacted Shepard's helmet. Half of it was caught by the helmet, but the other half cut deep into Shepard's scalp right above the left side of his forehead. The force of the impact sent him stumbling backwards into the structure. James rushed over and finished pulling Alexei inside. Shepard struggled to pull the shrapnel out of his helmet, and eventually just took off the entire helmet. He had a pretty deep gash that blood was rushing out of. Within a minute the whole left side of his face was red.

* * *

"I took out some medi-gel to try to stop Alexei's bleeding. Blood was pouring out of his legs and shrapnel tore his entire backside to shreds." Shepard stated. "But when I got over to where James had pulled him in, I knew he was dead. He most likely had died before he hit the wall outside."

He didn't cry, or even shed a single tear. Shepard had done his grieving a long time ago. But he still felt the same emotions he felt when he saw Alexei die. Shepard was once again staring off into the distance. He replayed the memory of the explosion and Alexei flying into the wall over and over in his head. The mental images of his legs lying in the dirt and the deep lacerations all over his backside had been seared into his mind ten years ago. Nobody ever forgets seeing horrors like that, they just hope the pain of remembering them diminishes over time. Tali didn't know what to say. She had seen friends killed in battle, but never the carnage Shepard had just described.

After a few more moments, Shepard continued, "Now, it was just James and myself."

* * *

Shepard applied some medi-gel to his forehead, and stopped the bleeding. Though he knew a cut that deep was bound to leave a scar. James found a blanket in a nearby room, and covered up Alexei's body. The batarian cruiser had taken enough damage from the AA guns and left. Shepard and James made a plan to look for a way to leave the settlement, and wait for the Alliance Navy to arrive. Shepard checked his omnitool and saw it was 06:34, the Second Fleet would be arriving in under ten hours. They hoped that since the batarians had cleared out the settlement for the bombardment, they could escape before they were surrounded again. Unknown to them, the batarians had placed snipers who were watching the outskirts of the settlement, waiting to pick off any marines trying to escape the cruiser's bombardments. Shepard and James were nearing the outskirts, but had to cross a main road to continue on. They wanted to avoid travelling on main roads to minimize their chance of being spotted. Shepard peeked around the corner of the prefab they were hiding behind, and saw that it was clear. He told James to wait to follow him until he crossed the road. Shepard sprinted across the street without incident, and slid into cover behind another prefab. He looked over to James, and motioned for him to go. He wouldn't be so fortunate. James started to sprint across, and the crack of a sniper rifle rang out.

When Shepard had sprinted across the road, he caught the attention of a batarian sniper. The sniper hadn't lined up a shot by the time Shepard slid into cover, and waited to see if any other marines would follow. When James ran from cover, the sniper lined up the crosshairs and fired. The bullet impacted James' right calf, knocking his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground and rolled a few feet before coming to a stop about halfway across the street. James cried out in pain, and tried to stand up again on his good leg. The sniper saw an opportunity, and set a trap no pirate or slaver would've normally thought of. Another shot rang out, and a bullet struck James in his lower left thigh. He crumpled to the ground again, and let out another cry of pain. The sniper was using James as bait, hoping Shepard would expose himself to help James.

"Don't move, James! I'm coming, I'll be right there!" Shepard yelled.

James was groaning loudly, but managed to reply, "It's a trap, Shepard… stay where you are."

He tried to prop himself up on his elbows and crawl the rest of the way. James moved a few inches, but his open leg wounds dragging on the ground sent bolts of pain through his body. He dropped to the ground again, and screamed in agony.

Shepard couldn't bare to watch James struggle like this. He peeked around the corner and fired a burst from his assault rifle, aiming where he thought the sniper was. The incoming fire caused the sniper to back away a few feet and take cover. Shepard took the opportunity to run over to James, and sling him over his shoulders. Just as Shepard was halfway back to cover, the sniper lined up another shot. He pulled the trigger, and a bullet dug right through Shepard's upper thigh. Shepard stumbled and almost dropped James. He slowly got back up and hobbled on, the pain in his thigh screaming at him to stop. The sniper fired again just as the duo made it to cover. With their original plan now impossible, the two marines hid in what appeared to be a farming equipment repair shop. Shepard liked the spot because it only had two entrances, an open garage door and a smaller door right next to it. He placed James behind a crate of sheet metal, and applied medi-gel to both their wounds. James couldn't stand, but he could still fight. When James wasn't looking, Shepard checked his groin region to make sure everything was still there. The sniper shot had struck too close for comfort.

Once the pain had subsided, James said, "You are _loco_ , Shepard, you know that?"

Shepard laughed, "It's just part of the job."

He moved behind a crate a few feet away, and the two prepared to make their last stand.

* * *

"We spent the next nine hours shooting anything that moved. It got intense more than a few times, but we somehow managed to hold them off." Shepard said. "I truly believe someone above was watching out for us that day. I don't know how it was possible that we weren't overrun."

Tali knew Shepard was talking about the Christian God, but she silently thanked the Ancestors that they had kept Shepard and James alive that day.

"When the Second Fleet arrived, James and I shouted and cheered as loud as we could." he continued. "We saw debris from countless batarian ships falling from the sky. It was a beautiful sight."

Shepard went on to recount how they were picked up by a shuttle, and how nobody could believe they had survived. The batarians had overrun every other company in his division.

"A few weeks later, I was awarded the Star of Terra by the Alliance, along with a few other medals. I thought James deserved one too, but he did get a few other medals." Shepard added. "I keep my Star of Terra in its box in my desk, when I look at it I only see Emma and Alexei dying. I don't know why James and I were the only two to survive, but I try not to dwell on it."

Tali kissed him softly.

"Your life means something." she stated. "You defeated Saren, you defeated the Collectors, and you're going to defeat the Reapers. Emma, Alexei, and all the other marines gave their lives so you could save the lives of everyone in the galaxy."

Shepard put his hand to her face, and gently stroked her cheek. He got lost in her glowing eyes, and he knew what she said was true. It didn't take away the pain he felt, but it gave him even more determination to stop the Reapers. Shepard was fighting for the lives of everyone in the galaxy, fighting to honor the sacrifice of his friends, and most importantly, fighting for Tali. He fell asleep that night with a renewed spirit, hoping his actions in the coming battles would make Emma and Alexei proud.


	25. Chapter 25: Welcome Home

**Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long to write and upload this chapter, I just moved back to my college apartment. Preparations for the upcoming semester and job training have taken up most of my time. Now that I'm settled in, I hope to update more regularly. I also wanted to thank everyone in my audience, because Unbreakable Bond has surpassed 10,000 views! It has grown far more than I ever expected when I first had the idea to write a fanfic. And I have all you to thank for it. I sincerely hope you all continue to read and enjoy!**

* * *

The shuttle door opened, and Tali was greeted by the most beautiful view she ever saw. The vast expanse of Rannoch, her people's homeworld, was before her. Tali paused as Shepard and Garrus jumped off the shuttle, she was in utter awe.

 _Keelah, it's beautiful_. she thought.

Tali timidly jumped off the shuttle, as if the pristine landscape in front of her would shatter if she landed with too much force. Shepard and Garrus were watching her, understanding the gravity of the situation. Shepard couldn't help but smile, the woman he loved finally was able to step foot on her people's long lost home. He was happy to be able to play a small part in getting Tali here, and he couldn't think of any quarian more deserving than her to be the first to return. Tali slowly walked over towards the duo, but didn't say a word. What words could she use to describe how she was feeling?

Tali spoke softly, "I can't believe it, I don't think it's really sunk in yet. The homeworld. _My_ world."

Shepard walked over to her, put his hand around her hip and pulled her close. Tali did the same to him, and for a moment they just drank in the scenery. Garrus smiled and decided to stay put, to let the couple have their moment alone. He suddenly saw an opportunity, and discreetly snapped a picture of his friends with his omnitool.

Tali broke the silence, "Look at the sky. And the rock formations? My people used to write poems about them."

"When we're done here, they will again." Shepard replied, smiling. "Who knows? Maybe you'll write one."

Tali grinned, "You've heard me say ' _Keelah se'lai_ '? The best translation I can come up with is, 'By the homeworld I hope to see someday'."

Shepard gave her a little squeeze, "Looks like today is that day."

They separated, and Shepard followed Tali as she made her way to a shallow creek.

Tali raised her hands, and made a rectangle with her thumbs and forefingers. She looked through the rectangle, and decided she loved the view.

Turning to Shepard, Tali stated, "The living room window will be right… here."

"Something I should know?" he replied, playfully.

Tali hugged Shepard, "I just claimed the land. I know it doesn't mean much, but when this is over, I'll… _we'll_ have a home."

Shepard placed his forehead on Tali's visor, looking deep into her eyes.

He spoke softly, "When this is all over, I'll be wherever you are. And there will be no place I'd rather be."

They both turned to gaze upon what they hoped would soon be their land. Both imagined a house, with kids playing in the yard. A home filled with love and joy. Garrus secretly snapped another picture from behind.

Shepard spoke first this time, "The quarians have spent centuries as nomads. You think you can go back to living in one place?"

Tali answered with a sigh, "We have gotten used to carrying our homes around with us."

Shepard bent down, and picked up a rock about the size of his palm.

Smiling, he placed it in Tali's hand, "Rannoch is your home, _our_ home now. You'll just have to carry it around with you for a little longer."

Tali appreciated the gesture, and turned the rock over and over in her hands. She looked back at him, with a smile he could see through her visor. Tali placed the rock into one of her enviro-suit's many pockets. They walked back over to where Garrus was.

Shepard spoke to them, "Come on, let's go take back Rannoch."

* * *

Shepard stood above the massive pit where the Reaper signal was being transmitted from. The mission had been successful so far. The squad had infiltrated the Reaper base and cleared out all hostile geth. Legion was currently securing transportation for extraction. All that was left was to destroy the transmitter, and Rannoch would once again belong to the quarians. Tali could barely contain her excitement, after 300 years of exile, her people would be able to come home. She was proud to play a role in their return.

EDI came over the comms, "Shepard, Normandy's weapons systems are ready to sync to your targeting laser. I recommend you withdraw to a safe distance."

Shepard pulled out the targeting laser, and painted the signal transmitter.

"Target locked." EDI announced as the Normandy came screaming into view.

The ship fired two missiles and scored a direct hit on the transmitter.

The squad rushed down to the edge of the pit to assess the damage. They peered into the pit, trying to see through the smoke and dust. All of a sudden, the massive legs of a Reaper Destroyer came out of the pit.

"Reaper!" Shepard yelled.

Almost immediately, a geth ground transport came flying up to them.

Legion's voice came over the comms, "We have located transportation!"

"Everybody, get to the ship! Move!" Shepard ordered.

The squad sprinted over to the geth transport, and Shepard manned the turret on top. Legion sped away from the base and the Reaper climbed out of the pit. Shepard looked back, terrified, as the Reaper began to pursue.

He raised the Migrant Fleet over the comms, "Shepard to Fleet, it's not a Reaper base, it's a live Reaper! I need an orbital strike!"

"Affirmative, Shepard. Waiting for your mark." Admiral Gerrel replied.

Once the squad was a safe distance away, Shepard ordered the Fleet to fire at will. Fire rained from the sky, and the Fleet scored multiple hits on the Reaper as it was charging it's laser. It shrieked in pain, and stumbled to the ground. Gerrel announced the Reaper was jamming the Fleet's targeting systems, and they couldn't make a precision shot on their own.

Shepard realized what had to be done, he had to get out and paint the Reaper with the targeting laser himself.

"Legion, pull over." he ordered.

Shepard jumped off the transport, and began walking towards the still recovering Reaper.

"Shepard-Commander?" Legion asked.

Shepard replied, "If we run away, the geth stay under Reaper control, and the quarians are dead. This ends now!"

He ordered EDI to sync all the Migrant Fleet's cannons to the Normandy's targeting system.

Tali spoke up, "If this doesn't… If we don't make it…"

"You worry too much." Shepard interrupted, his voice softened.

She tried to fit all her feelings and emotions for Shepard into three words, "I love you."

"I love you too, _Keelah se'lai_ " he responded, with the same amount of emotion.

The Reaper had recovered, and fired its laser up at the Fleet. Shepard saw his opportunity, and painted the Reaper. Another orbital strike came crashing down, causing the Reaper to stumble again. It looked around, and saw Shepard. It turned its attention to him, and began walking towards him. Shepard dodged the Reaper's laser, and painted it again. Another volley of hits, and the Reaper was clearly taking damage. He repeated this process several times. Each time the Reaper was hit, Shepard thought of the friends he'd lost fighting this threat. Ashley on Virmire, Mordin on Tuchanka, and Thane on the Citadel. Today, he was making a stand, for them. Finally, after several more barrages, the Reaper could take no more. It crashed to the ground, and let out a final shriek of pain.

Shepard walked over to the edge of the cliff he was on, and looked at the fallen Reaper.

The Reaper's eye focused on him, and it boomed, "Shepard."

"You know who I am?" Shepard asked.

"Harbinger speaks of you." the Reaper answered. "You resist, but you will fail."

Suddenly, Shepard began hearing the whispers again. He got a headache, but ignored it.

"I killed a Reaper on Tuchanka, and I killed you. Just imagine what the entire galaxy can do when we're united." Shepard stated.

The Reaper seemed to ignore what he was saying, "Without our intervention, organics and synthetics will always be in conflict. The cycle must continue."

The red light of the Reaper's eye slowly faded away as it died.

Tali ran up to Shepard and jumped into him, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"John, we did it!" she exclaimed, "We killed a Reaper!"

Legion strolled over to them, and announced, "We can confirm that the geth are no longer being directed by the Old Machines, we are free."

"You did it, Shepard! The geth fleet has stopped firing, their completely vulnerable." Admiral Gerrel added over the comms.

Shepard suddenly found himself in a very difficult position. Legion wanted to upload the Reaper code to all geth, giving them true AI status. Admiral Gerrel wanted to continue the attack against the, at the moment, defenseless geth. However, if Legion uploaded the code and the Migrant Fleet continued attacking, the geth would defend themselves, and most likely destroy the Fleet. Shepard wanted to allow Legion to upload the code, but wasn't willing to sacrifice the Migrant Fleet. He knew how much the quarians would be needed in the war against the Reapers. He also knew how devastated Tali would be if her people were wiped from the galaxy. Shepard then had an idea, an idea that could forever change how organics interacted with synthetics.

"John, you can't choose the geth over my people!" Tali pleaded.

"Tali, do you trust me?" Shepard asked, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes, I do." Tali answered, looking as deep into his.

"Nobody else dies today. Legion, upload the code." Shepard ordered.

Legion turned away from the two of them, and began uploading the code.

Shepard patched his comm in with the entire Migrant Fleet, "All ships, this is Commander Shepard. The Reaper is dead, stand down."

Tali added, "This is Admiral Tali'Zorah, Shepard speaks with my authority."

"And mine as well." Admiral Koris stated.

"Negative, we can win this war now! Keep firing!" Admiral Gerrel retorted.

Shepard reluctantly reached down to his waist, and unholstered his pistol.

"Reaper code 60% uploaded." Legion updated.

"The geth are about to return to full strength. If you keep attacking, they'll wipe you out." Shepard said. "Your entire history is you trying to destroy the geth. You forced them to rebel. You forced them to ally with the Reapers."

"80% uploaded." Legion updated again.

Shepard hesitantly raised his pistol and aimed it at the back of Legion's head. If his plan failed, he would choose Tali and the quarians over Legion and the geth.

"The geth _don't_ want to fight you. If you can believe that for just one minute, this war will be over." Shepard pleaded. "You have a choice. Please. _Keelah se'lai_."

While he waited for a response, he placed his finger on the trigger. Just as he was about to fire, Admiral Gerrel finally caved.

"All units, hold fire." he relented.

Shepard smiled, and holstered his pistol. He turned and hugged Tali tightly, his plan had worked. Peace between the quarians and geth could now be achieved.

"I knew I could trust you." she whispered in his ear.

As they separated, Legion suddenly stopped uploading the code.

"Error, copying code is insufficient. Direct personality dissemination… required." it stated as it turned to the couple. "Shepard-Commander, I must go to them. I'm… I'm sorry. It's the only way."

"Legion, about your earlier question, 'Does this unit have a soul?'. The answer is yes." Tali said.

"I know, Tali. But thank you." Legion thanked. " _Keelah se'lai_."

It then turned to face the sunset, dropped to its knees, and fell over, dead.

Shortly after, Admiral Raan and a geth prime came over to where Shepard and Tali were standing. They explained that the geth would allow the quarians to return to Rannoch, and that both species would pledge full support in the war effort. While Raan and the geth prime continued talking about the quarians return, Tali walked over by the edge of the cliff and sat down. Shepard sat down next to her, and placed his arm around her.

"Shopping for another house?" he asked, jokingly.

"Beachfront property." she quipped, putting her arm around him.

After a short pause, Shepard said, "I'll understand if you want to stay here. You don't have to come with me, if you feel your place is here, helping your people."

"John, I don't know how much time we have left. I don't know if we can beat the Reapers." she replied. "But whatever happens, I want to be with you."

Trying to lighten the mood, Shepard joked, "I bet you say that to every guy who gets you a homeworld."

Tali laughed, "Only the cute ones."

Garrus had been watching everything transpire from afar. He smiled, and discreetly took another picture.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I had Shepard aim his pistol at Legion as a failsafe in case his plan failed. I believe Shepard wouldn't place all his faith in Admiral Gerrel backing down and not have a backup plan.**


	26. Chapter 26: Blowing Off Steam

Shepard and Tali were sitting on the edge of the cliff, watching Rannoch's sun, Tikkun, slowly begin to dip below the horizon. They each had an arm around the other. Tali was resting her head on Shepard's shoulder, and his head rested on the top of her's. It was a remarkable view, Tali was one of the first quarians in over 300 years to be able to see a Rannoch sunset. Both of them were perfectly content to just be absorbed in the moment. There was no dead Reaper 100 yards from them, Cerberus wasn't actively fighting against the war effort, and the Reapers didn't exist. There was just the two of them, basking in the light of a setting sun. With all their hearts, the both wished the war could be over. No more fighting, no more killing, no more death. However, they both knew that wasn't the case. The galaxy still required more from them, and like the loyal soldiers they were, they would answer the call. But for now, they had this moment.

Tali sighed.

"What's wrong, Tali?" Shepard asked.

"I look at all this… this picture of hope and peace. And all I see is everyone I've lost." she replied. "My team on Haestrom, my father, even Legion. I'm mourning a geth. How crazy is that?"

"It's not crazy at all. I struggle with that too, with Emma, Alexei, Ashley, and the others." he responded. "But like you told me, everyone we lost gave their lives so that other's may live. It doesn't make the pain of that loss go away, but it means their sacrifice was worth something."

Tali didn't respond at first, but she knew Shepard was right. She had to listen to her own advice.

After a few moments of thought, Tali said, "It is beautiful though, isn't it?"

Shepard raised his head so he could look over at Tali. She looked stunning in the golden light the setting sun was casting on her.

Still looking at her, he responded, "Yeah, it is."

The couple just sat for together for a minute or so.

Tali broke the silence, "It'll be years before we can live without our suits completely, but right now…"

She reached up and unlatched her visor, Shepard could hear the telltale hiss of the seal being broken.

"Right now, I have this." she finished.

Tali gazed upon Rannoch without the purple tint of her visor. She smelled the air without it being filtered. It was a small taste of what the future on Rannoch held for her. She quickly put her visor back on, wanting to limit the severity of her inevitable allergic reaction. Tali then turned to look at Shepard, and saw him smiling at her.

 _A few more seconds can't hurt_. she thought.

Tali unlatched her visor again and kissed Shepard, a kiss which he returned.

As she put her visor back into place, she said, "John, thank you. For everything you've done for me, for my people."

Shepard tapped his forehead to her visor, "Everything I do, I do because I love you."

Tali blushed, and was again glad her visor's purple tint hid her cheeks.

Shepard glanced at his omnitool, and saw that it was 19:34.

"I better get back to the Normandy, I'll have Cortez bring in the shuttle." he said.

About 10 minutes later, Cortez arrived. When the dust settled, Shepard walked over and boarded the shuttle. He turned around to help Tali up, but she hesitated.

Shepard smiled and asked, "You want to stay a little longer?"

"Coming to Rannoch has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I just…" Tali answered.

Shepard jumped off the shuttle and hugged her.

"Take as long as you need. When we beat the Reapers, we'll spend the rest of our lives here." he promised. "And I'm going to build you a house on the land you claimed. With the living room window right where you said it should be. I promise."

The smile on his face was infectious, and Tali smiled too, "I'll catch a ride with Auntie Raan on her shuttle, her pilot can drop me off at the Normandy."

"Don't take too long, Miss vas Normandy" Shepard playfully ordered with a wink.

"I'll be back before you know it, my Captain." she replied.

As the shuttle lifted off and sped away, Tali found a path leading from the cliff down to the beach below. She sat down on the soft sand, and for a while just listened to the waves crash against the shore. Tali wished she could listen to the waves without her helmet's audio input. She also wished Shepard was with her, to share this moment with him. Tali reflected on how much her life changed when she met Shepard. She didn't even want to imagine what her life would be like had he not came charging into that alley in the wards three years ago and saved her. Sure, Shepard had come for her because of her data implicating Saren, but he still put himself in harm's way to protect a woman he didn't even know. A _quarian_ woman, at that.

 _He changed my life so much, I hope he knows how much better he makes it._ Tali thought.

She allowed herself to slip into a daydream, reminiscing about their fateful meeting.

* * *

Tali was huddled behind a crate, taking fire from a turian assassin who she thought was an agent for the Shadow Broker. She raised her shotgun and fired a slug, causing the turian to duck into cover as well.

Behind her, Tali heard a male voice call out, "Friendlies on your six!"

She whirled around, shotgun at the ready, thinking it was another trap. Tali saw two humans and another turian, but they were firing at the assassin. They weren't there to kill her, but to save her. The man who called out to her rushed over to her position, sliding into cover next to her. He took aim with his assault rifle, and fired two shots into the assassin's head when he peeked around his cover. The man stood up, scanned the area, and gave the all clear.

"Ashley, do a quick sweep of the area, make sure we didn't miss anyone. Garrus, call C-Sec and let them know what happened." he ordered.

While the human man had been giving orders, Tali had been formulating a verbal defense in her head. She knew that she would likely be blamed for all this, judging by how she had been treated the past few days on the Citadel. Quarians were looked down upon by the rest of galactic society, and she figured this encounter would be no different. After the man had finished giving orders, he looked down at Tali, who was sitting on the ground. What he did next took Tali completely by surprise. His expression softened, she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Are you alright, miss?" the man asked in a soft tone, extending his hand down to help her up.

 _He asked if I'm alright?_ Tali thought incredulously. _And did he call me 'miss'?_

She was used to being treated poorly or simply ignored. She had also never been called 'miss', only 'quarian' or other, more hurtful names. His genuine concern and politeness were an unexpected, but greatly welcomed, change of pace. Tali hesitantly grabbed his outstretched hand, and stood up.

"I'm… I'm fine. Thanks for your help." she said, still surprised by his actions. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy." he replied, smiling at her. "And you are?"

"My name's Tali, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." she answered.

* * *

Shepard had given her so much. When they first met of the Citadel, he gave her kindness and respect. A few hours later, he gave her an engineering position on the Normandy. When he returned from the dead, he gave her love for him a second chance. During their fight against the Collectors, he gave her his heart. And now, he had given her Rannoch. Shepard never wanted anything but her love in return. Tali knew Shepard knew just how much she loved him, but she wanted to give him a physical reminder as well. Then, she had an idea. Tali glanced around to make sure no one could see her, then activated Chatika. She quickly removed her helmet, veil, gloves, sleeves, and a portion of her suit that covered her chest. Bringing up Chatika's camera view on her omnitool, Tali positioned it at just the right angle. When she was satisfied, she posed, and took a picture. Tali then quickly put her suit back together and took off to find Auntie Raan.

* * *

Shepard stepped of the shuttle in the Normandy's cargo bay, feeling relaxed. Rannoch once again belonged to the quarians, and he gained their support along with the geth's. As he was walking to the elevator, he noticed James and Garrus were lifting weights. Over the past few months, James had accumulated an impressive collection of weightlifting equipment through requisition orders, citing the 'physical well-being of the crew' in each request. Heavy metal music was blaring over the stereo, forcing Shepard to almost shout.

"I'm glad to see my crew cares so much about their physical condition!" he yelled.

James looked up from the bench press, and racked the bar.

"Loco! Garrus and I just started a few minutes ago, why don't you join us?" he asked.

"I wanna say that I out-benched a Spectre!" Garrus piped in, "It's already obvious that I'm better looking, Shepard. Might as well add 'stronger' to the list also."

Shepard laughed, "Alright, it's on. Let me change and I'll be right down."

After changing into a workout shirt and athletic shorts, Shepard rejoined Garrus and James in the cargo bay a few minutes later.

"There he is!" Garrus exclaimed. "Come on, Council Spectre. Let's see what you're made of."

The trio made their way over to the bench press.

"Okay, _Loco_ , here's the deal. The weight is 225 lbs, do as many reps as you can." James explained. "Garrus' record is 17, and mine is 26."

Shepard quickly stretched his arms, and laid down on the bench. He had always been very athletic, and was built like a linebacker. Standing at 6'2" and weighing just over 225 lbs, all pure muscle, Shepard was an intimidating sight. He was naturally strong, and his cybernetics gave him a bit of a boost. He gripped the bar, and lifted it off the rack. After five reps, he started to breathe heavily. After 10, he started to sweat. After 15, Garrus began to get nervous. After 20, James felt the same. After 27 reps, Shepard let the bar clang down in the rack, Garrus and James wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He sat up, and flexed his biceps. The three then took turns squatting, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and various other exercises. Shepard beat them every time.

The workout finished, and Garrus' and James' egos hurting, Shepard retired to his cabin. He took a shower, the warm water relaxing his muscles as well as his mind. Shepard came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. The heavy metal that was playing during his workout in the cargo bay put him in the mood to listen to music.

"EDI, could you shuffle my playlist?" he requested.

 _Paradise City_ by Guns N' Roses came over the surround sound system.

 _Nice choice._ he thought. "EDI, turn up the volume all the way."

Shepard began bobbing his head with every beat of the drum, and soon was mouthing the chorus along with Axl Rose. He completely forgot what he was supposed to do, playing the air guitar had become his priority.

* * *

As the elevator opened up on Deck One, Tali heard a strange and frightening commotion coming from the cabin. What sounded like a human man screaming and various other loud and unsettling noises were coming from inside.

 _"I wanna go! I wanna go! Oh, won't you please take me home!"_

She quickly opened the airlock and began the decontamination sequence. Tali pulled out her shotgun and waited impatiently for it to cycle.

 _"Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty!"_

When the second airlock opened, she rushed inside, and barely was able to contain her laughter.

The song was nearing its end, and the tempo was at its fastest. Shepard had completely lost himself in the music, and was furiously strumming his air guitar. He had one foot on the floor and the other on the bed. He was banging his head to the beat, and still wore only a towel. Tali couldn't let this incredible opportunity pass by, and she began secretly recording him with her omnitool. She had no idea what he was doing, or why he found such amusement from the awful racket, but she thought it was hilarious. When the song ended, Shepard turned around. To his horror, he saw Tali standing on top of the stairs, her omnitool recording him.

"Tali!" he exclaimed in surprise, "How long… uh… have you been here?"

He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, his cheeks turning beet red.

"Long enough to get a great recording." she giggled. "I wonder if the crew would like to see how the Commander spends his free time?"

"You wouldn't." Shepard asserted, failing to suppress a smile.

"I won't, but I'm not deleting it. Now I can blackmail you whenever I want." she replied, smiling. Pointing to the towel he wore, she continued, "Interesting outfit."

Shepard looked down, "Oh! I just got out of the shower, and got lost in the song before I could get dressed."

Tali took off her visor and helmet, letting her wavy black hair fall down. She slowly walked over to Shepard, swaying her hips seductively. Tali kissed him, and grabbed the towel.

"This simply won't do, let me help." she said in a sultry tone as she unwrapped the towel and tossed it aside. "There, that's _much_ better."

Tali then pushed Shepard down on the bed, and removed the rest of her suit. She then crawled sexily on top of him, and, in between kisses, let EDI know the two of them would be unavailable for a few hours.


	27. Chapter 27: Breaking Point

"You resist, but you will fail." came the booming voice of a Reaper.

The incessant whispering that had plagued him in the past returned, a little louder this time. Shepard looked out, but there was nothing but darkness around him. Suddenly, four bright yellow eyes appeared before him. Their stare cut right down to his soul. Harbinger.

"You prolong the inevitable, Shepard." Harbinger's voice thundered.

Suddenly the four eyes disappeared, and Shepard was transported back to the war-torn city street in his previous nightmare. All his friends' remains were in the same position he saw before. All were again burnt horribly. Shepard dropped to his knees, overcome with grief. He knew what was coming next. Shepard looked up, and saw Tali walking towards him. Like the rest, she looked exactly as she had in the previous nightmare. Instead of screaming at him like last time, she simply knelt before him. With all his might, he tried to look away. Shepard couldn't bear to see the woman he loved in this condition.

Tali whispered to him, "Shepard, why did you do this to me?"

He could tell that she was crying, but blood streamed down her face instead of tears.

"I didn't... I would never…" he stammered.

Then everything went black, and five figures came towards Shepard out of the void. He instantly recognized all of them, and felt tremendous pain deep inside him. Before him stood Emma, Alexei, Ashley, Mordin, and Thane. All their faces were bloodied, and each bore the wounds that killed them. Emma had four bullet holes in her chest, blood spurting out of each one. Thane bore the mark of Kai Leng's sword with a thin chest wound, which had blood seeping out. Blood was also coming out of his mouth, as was a sickening gurgling sound. Shepard wanted to look away, but couldn't. The last three were the most traumatizing to look at. Alexei, Ashley, and Mordin all had deep lacerations covering their bodies, blood pouring out and revealing glimpses of muscle and organs. Alexei was also missing both his legs below the thigh, and was crawling on his arms. Shepard was mortified by what he saw, and couldn't even close his eyes. To see his deceased friends in this grotesque state was unbearable.

All five turned their eyes to him, and gazed unblinkingly at him. They all spoke in unison, in a flat, unchanging tone.

"Shepard, why didn't you save us?" they asked.

Shepard didn't know how to answer, "I… I tried."

"It wasn't enough. You did this to us." the five said, accusingly.

"No… I… I didn't mean for this to happen!" he replied, losing control of his emotions.

Suddenly their tones changed, becoming a deafening yell.

They screamed, "You can't save anyone! Everyone you care about will die because of you!"

"No! Go away, leave me alone!" Shepard yelled back.

The sight of his friends, their shouts, and the whispers had sent him into a crazed frenzy.

"You can't save anyone! Everyone you care about will die because of you!" they repeated again and again.

Shepard screamed in agony, everything around him was so overwhelming.

"No!" he screamed over and over.

* * *

Shepard shot up in his bed, still yelling. It took him a moment to realize where he was. Tali was awoken abruptly by his outburst, scanning the room for danger. Shepard collapsed back down into the bed, gently sobbing. Tali immediately hugged him, and rolled him over so he was facing her. Shepard embraced her as well, crying into her shoulder. Tali gently stroked his head with one hand and his back with the other. She was glad her suit was off, Shepard needed to feel the touch of her skin on his, not the touch of leather.

 _Keelah, what could've caused him this much sorrow?_ she wondered.

Tali remembered the time he broke down when talking about his family, and how her singing had soothed him. She began softly singing the same song, praying it would have the same effect as it did before. Luckily for the both of them, it did. After about half a minute, Shepard had calmed down.

Wiping the lingering tears from his eyes, Shepard hugged Tali tightly, caressing the back of her head with one hand.

"Thank you, _saera_. I don't know what I would do without you." he thanked sincerely.

Tali loved hearing him call her ' _saera_ ', each time a confirmation that his bond was as deep and complete with her as her's was with him. She looked lovingly into his eyes, and gently dried his cheeks with her fingers.

"I will always be here for you, John." Tali promised. "Now tell me, what happened in your nightmare?"

Shepard sat up slowly, and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He hung his head, and Tali could see his muscular back quiver with each breath he took.

"I… I don't want to talk about it." Shepard confessed.

Tali scooted over to where he was, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She nestled her head in between his neck and shoulder, her mouth near his ear.

Tali whispered softly, "It's not healthy to keep these things bottled up. Please, _saera_ , tell me what happened."

Shepard took a deep breath, and relented.

"At first all I heard was whispering. But it was like it was coming from inside my head." he explained. "Then I heard Harbinger mocking me, telling me no matter what I was going to fail."

Shepard continued on, detailing the street and the intersection with all his dead friends.

"Then I saw you. Seeing you in that state, it was unbearable." he told. "Then you told me what happened to you was my fault."

Up until this point, Tali had just held him as he talked. After hearing this, she knew he needed more from her. Tali used one of her hands to gently push Shepard's head towards her, and kissed him deeply. It was a reminder that she was here with him, and wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm here, with you. And I would never blame you for something that was out of your control." she assured him.

Shepard reached up and gently stroked her cheek. He then detailed the rest of his dream, leaving out some of the more gruesome aspects.

"The five of them kept repeating over and over that I can't save anyone. And everyone I care about will die because of me." Shepard explained. "At that point, all I could do was yell. And that's when I woke up."

"I know it was hard, but it's good that you told me." Tali said. "I can't imagine the stress you're under right now, and I want to relieve any that I can."

Shepard kissed her again, smiling for the first time since he woke up, "You do that just by being with me. Like I said earlier, I don't know what I would do without you."

"If I have anything to say about it, you'll never have to find out." Tali responded.

Shepard glanced over at the clock. They would be arriving at Thessia in a few hours.

"Well, we might as well get up." Shepard stated with a sigh. "EDI, have the entire team meet me in the cargo bay. I'm going to need everyone for this mission."

* * *

Shepard sprinted down the main corridor of the temple, picking up a Predator pistol in stride. He fired shot after shot at the departing Cerberus gunship until his thermal clip overheated.

"Dammit!" he yelled, throwing the pistol to the ground.

Shepard knew a pistol wouldn't have done much damage to the gunship anyway, but he had to do something. He couldn't just watch as Kai Leng departed with the VI containing the only lead they had on the Catalyst. That VI was the reason the team had come to Thessia in the first place, and it had slipped through their grasp. Shepard crouched down, and hung his head in defeat.

"Dammit…" he said, just above a whisper.

Tali came and crouched down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Liara slowly came walking out of the temple, tears cascading as she watched her homeworld fall to the Reapers. The rest of the team just stood in silence, each processing what just happened.

"Cortez, we need an evac at the temple. We're done here." Shepard said in shame.

A few minutes later Cortez arrived, and the team left Thessia behind them.

Nobody said a word the entire shuttle ride back to the Normandy. The shuttle's engines and Liara's soft cries were the only sounds that could be heard. Shepard was angry enough with himself to punch the interior wall. However, he held his anger in check for the sake of the team. If they saw him lose his temper, it would be even more devastating to their morale. So Shepard just hung his head in shame instead. Kaidan was sitting next to Liara with an arm around her, trying to console her the best he could. Tali was next to Shepard with a hand on his thigh, rubbing it every so often. She knew he was taking the defeat very hard, and wanted to comfort him in any way possible. When the shuttle finally arrived back in the Normandy's cargo bay, Shepard and Tali were the last two to get off. They slowly walked to the elevator together, and didn't talk until the doors closed.

"I should probably go check on Engineering, will you be alright for a bit?" Tali asked, concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine." he answered unconvincingly. "I have to give a report to the asari councilor. I'll be in our cabin afterwards."

The elevator doors opened on Deck Four, and Tali gave Shepard's hand a squeeze before she exited.

Shepard made his way to the vidcomm room, and grudgingly called the asari councilor. He placed his hand on the railing in front of him, and hung his head once more. The form of the asari councilor appeared before him.

"Shepard, Thessia has gone dark. How soon will the Crucible be ready to deploy?" she asked.

Shepard sighed, "Councilor… I wish the news was better. We… didn't get the information."

The councilor was shocked, "What happened?"

"Cerberus was there, we were…" Shepard paused, unwilling to say it out loud. "We were defeated. We don't know how to finish the Crucible."

The councilor was silent for a while, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I… don't know what to say." she confessed. "You'll have to excuse me. There are… preparations to make… continuity of civilization to consider."

"I'm…" the asari councilor cut the transmission before Shepard could finish, "...sorry."

Shepard immediately made his way to his cabin, not wanting to talk to anyone. When he got there, he immediately sat down at his desk. Shepard put his elbows on the desk and his face in his hands. He couldn't believe that he failed. Now nobody had any idea on how to finish the Crucible.

 _I failed everyone, and it's all my fault_. he thought.

Shepard looked up, and eyed a full bottle of Jack Daniel's he had picked up the last time he was on the Citadel. He poured himself a glass, and quickly drank it. The whiskey burned as it made it's way down his throat, and Shepard poured himself another glass. Before he could stop himself, the contents of that glass were already on the way down too. The guilt he felt was killing him inside, and he made the foolish decision to try to drown it in alcohol.

About an hour later, Tali had finished everything that needed to be done in Engineering. She decided to go up to the cabin and see how Shepard was doing. Tali knew he would be having a hard time dealing with it, but didn't expect to see what she did. As the decontamination cycle finished, she walked in to find Shepard slumped over his desk, one hand grabbing onto the bottle of Jack Daniel's. An empty bottle.

"Keelah… John, what did you do?"

Shepard slowly raised himself off the desk, turning towards her. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, a telltale sign that he had been crying.

"Hey Tali... You want some?" Shepard slurred.

"You drank the whole bottle…" she noticed.

Shepard eyed the bottle curiously, "Oh yeah, my implants... filtered too fast. Had to keep going."

"John, is this because of what happened on Thessia?" Tali asked.

"Not just Thessia... everything. Harbinger was right…can't save us..." Shepard answered in a much sadder tone, plopping back down on the desk. "Cerberus got the VI… I did this…"

Tali walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" _Saera,_ you did everything you could. It's not your fault." she said reassuringly.

Shepard shot up out of his chair, having sobered up a little.

"But it is my fault! I let this happen!" he yelled. "Who am I kidding? I can't beat the Reapers!"

His change in tone had shocked Tali, and she raised hers as well, "Yes you can! Together, all of us can!"

"How can we beat the Reapers if I can't even beat Cerberus? Hell, I can't even save my people from dying!" he retorted. "Emma, Alexei, Ashley, Mordin, Thane, they all died because of me! I couldn't save them, and I can't save anyone else! I can't even save you!"

Tali took a step back, remembering what Shepard had said that morning regarding his dream. It was clear that all the stress he had felt over the past months was boiling over. The stress of the war, the nightmares, the people he'd lost, and now the defeat by Cerberus had finally broken him.

Shepard calmed down, and talked in a much softer tone, "I'm sorry I yelled at you… I just… I can't beat them. I just lost us this whole war… it's all my fault."

Tali hugged him tightly, "It's okay, you've just been under so much stress. But John, you can't give up. We need you to lead us, no one else can. We can still beat them, I don't know how, but we can."

Tali was lying when she said that, deep down she didn't know if they could beat the Reapers. But she knew that only with Shepard leading them did they have any chance. He needed to hear her say it. Shepard had been her rock many times before, now it was her turn to be his.

Shepard hugged Tali back, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're the man who stopped Saren, who defeated the Collectors. I fell in love with that man, and you're still him. If anyone can do this, it's you."

The two just stood in each other's embrace for awhile. Shepard knew how lucky he was to have Tali, she had been with him through everything. Tali was there when he had been grounded by the Council, when he thought Saren would succeed. She was there when he was working with Cerberus, when so many had turned their backs on him. And now she was there now, when he had almost given up.

Shepard broke the silence, "I love you so much, I don't know what I would do without you."


	28. Chapter 28: Pushing On

Shepard stood in the Normandy's elevator, waiting for it to take him to the Cargo Bay. It had been a few days since he had broken apart, and been put back together by Tali. The defeat at the hands of Kai Leng and Cerberus still stung, but the severity of it had eased over time. Shepard was still pushing through doubts, doubts about his ability to lead and the galaxy's ability to defeat the Reapers. He was making progress, though, and Tali had been there to help whenever he had needed it. Shepard was slowly gaining his confidence back, and he had her to thank for that.

 _She changed my life so much, and continues to do so. I hope she knows just how much better she makes it._ he thought.

Tali wasn't the only one helping him, though. Others had been aware of the stress he was under, but he managed to keep his meltdown a secret. Only Shepard and Tali knew what really happened, and intended to keep it that way for the sake of the crew's morale. Knowledge of their commanding officer having a breakdown would have a serious negative impact on the crew's mental state. Under the guise of simple 'stress relief', Shepard had sought out the assistance of various crew members. He decided to finally take up James' offer of regular workouts down in the cargo bay. After all, the lieutenant had to reclaim his bench press record, and wanted Shepard to be a witness when he did. Shepard had also agreed to a sparring session with Garrus, which he was on his way to now.

When the elevator doors opened, Shepard stepped out and found Garrus had already arrived. Along with workout equipment, James had also acquired the necessary equipment for sparring. Padding, a few pairs of gloves, and some sets of headgear had been obtained through requisition orders, still citing the 'physical well-being of the crew' as the reason.

 _I wonder how much longer that reason is gonna cut it?_ Shepard contemplated with a smirk.

Shepard also noticed a crowd had gathered around to watch the match. He walked over to Garrus, and knew right away that he'd advertised the session to the crew.

"Really, Garrus?" Shepard asked, chuckling. "I wasn't expecting spectators."

He saw an evil grin appear on the turian's face.

"I'll take any chance I can get to kick my commanding officer's ass in front of his crew." Garrus replied.

Shepard smiled and shook his head, "You just want witnesses if you win. And for when you try to use this story when hitting on women."

His comment got a laugh out of Garrus, who finished putting on his gear. Luckily the turian had kept his sparring gear from his days in the turian military, as James had only acquired gear designed for human use.

Shepard looked around to see who was in the crowd. It was late at night, so most of the crew were off duty. The first person he noticed was Tali, who was standing in the front row. Next to her was Liara, and Kaidan was next to her. Joker was sitting on a crate, with EDI next to him, making sure he didn't break a bone or anything. Cortez was standing next to James, with Ken and Gabby present as well. Various other crew members were scattered around the makeshift ring, eager to see who was the best hand-to-hand combatant on the Normandy.

When Shepard had finished putting on his gear, James stepped forward to address the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the main event!" he yelled, mimicking old Earth boxing announcers. "Tonight, we'll witness history in the making!"

James walked over to Garrus, and lifted one of the turians arms up.

"In this corner, standing at 6'6" and weighing 210 lbs, Garrus Vakarian!" he announced.

A chorus of boos and thumbs down erupted from the crowd, all in good fun of course. Garrus caught on quickly and played along, pretending to revel in the fake animosity. James moved over to Shepard, and raised one of his arms as well.

He addressed the crowd again, "In this corner, standing at 6'2" and weighing 225 lbs, Commander Shepard!"

The crowd's reaction to him was much different, with cheers and shouts of encouragement. James motioned for the two of them to come to the center of the ring.

"Alright gentlemen, I want a nice, clean fight. The winner will be crowned the champion hand-to-hand fighter on the Normandy." he explained. "When the bell rings, come out of your corners ready to fight."

The two men touched gloves and retreated to their respective corners. Shepard glanced over to Tali, who blew a kiss at him. She had seen a woman do that to her boyfriend in a movie they had watched together recently. He smiled at her and winked. James then pointed at EDI, who played the sound of a bell ringing over the cargo bay speakers.

Eight rounds later, and both men were still going. Neither had gained a clear advantage in the fight, and since this was a submission match, it would continue until someone tapped out. Shepard was breathing heavily, and noticed Garrus seemed fatigued as well. Both men had run out of their standard moves, and their advanced techniques as well. SInce it was just a sparring session, each man was holding back considerably. The worst possible outcome was an injury, the last thing they needed during this war. The crew was loving it nonetheless, any form of entertainment was welcomed these days. Tali had moved over to Shepard's corner, and was massaging his shoulders. James was doing the same for Garrus, no doubt wanting revenge for his broken bench press record.

"You're doing great, John! The turians are renowned for their fighting prowess, and your giving Garrus quite a challenge." Tali encouraged.

Shepard reached up and squeezed one of her hands with his, "I think he's getting desperate, his reputation is on the line. He'll slip up and make a mistake soon enough."

Half a minute later, the bell rung again. Each man came out of his corner, ready to fight. Garrus was indeed desperate, and right away threw a heavy punch aimed right at Shepard's chest. Shepard sidestepped it in time, and saw an opportunity. Since he connected with nothing but air, Garrus' balance had been thrown off slightly. Now at his side, Shepard swept Garrus' legs out from under him while at the same time pushing his back forward. Garrus landed face down on the mat with a thud, and Shepard was on top of him in an instant. Shepard grabbed one of Garrus' arms and held it behind his back, careful to not exert any force. Garrus tried to escape a few times, but realized it was futile. He reluctantly tapped out.

The crowd erupted. Cheers, clapping, and shouts echoed throughout the cargo bay. Credit chits were exchanged between bettors. Shepard helped Garrus up, and gave him a one-armed hug, which was reciprocated. James walked out to the mat, slowly clapping with a grin on his face. He turned to the crowed.

"We have a winner by tapout!" he yelled over the noise of the crowd. "The Normandy hand-to-hand combat champion is Commander Shepard!"

James lifted one of Shepard's arms into the air, and Garrus lifted the other. Though Shepard normally wasn't one for the spotlight, he had to admit that he enjoyed this one moment of glory. Even though it had just been a light sparring session, it felt good to win again after such a devastating defeat. Tali came over and hugged Shepard, and he lifted her off her feet and spun her around a few times. He was finally back to his old self again, and he had his closest friend and the woman he loved to thank for it.

After the crowd had dispersed, only Shepard, Tali, and Garrus were left in the cargo bay. Garrus patted Shepard on the back.

"Congratulations, Shepard, you just had to take away from me the thing turians are renowned for." he said with a smirk.

Shepard smiled and returned the pat, "You fought well, Garrus, if you hadn't tried to end the fight so abruptly, we could've still been sparring right now."

"If someone had to beat me at my own game, I'm glad it was you, Shepard." Garrus stated. "I'm also glad I didn't embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, either."

Shepard chuckled, while Tali responded with a sarcastic " _Bosh'tet_."

Shepard checked the time on his omnitool, and noticed how late it was.

"Alright everyone, it's getting late. You too should probably get some sleep, we'll touch down on Sanctuary tomorrow morning." he said. "I'll put all the gear back in it's place."

Garrus held up a hand, "I'll take care of it, Shepard. You'll be leading us tomorrow, you need to rest."

"I'll help Garrus, I'll meet you in the cabin." Tali added with a squeeze of his hand.

Shepard knew any protests would fall on deaf ears, and headed to the elevator.

Once Shepard was gone, Tali turned to Garrus.

"Thanks for doing that, Garrus. I really think it boosted his confidence." she thanked.

"Of course, Tali. Based on what you told me, it sounded like he needed it." Garrus responded. "The crew needed to see it too, to know that Shepard was still himself after the defeat."

"I don't know how you did it, but it looked like a real fight to me. And I knew it was fixed." she said.

"That's because it _was_ a real fight. The only time I let up was when I gave him the opportunity for the takedown at the end." he revealed. "He needed to beat me for real, I just slipped up on purpose. Now go on up, I'll put this stuff away. Shepard needs you now, make sure he's ready for tomorrow."

* * *

The shuttle ride back from Sanctuary was much more pleasant than the previous one. Though Kai Leng had escaped again, Miranda had planted a tracer on him. With any luck, they could trace him right to the Illusive Man. The team had also put a stop to Cerberus' horrid experiments there. And Orianna was safe again, Miranda made sure of that. Though Shepard thought she hadn't needed to kill her father, at least the mission was a success. Everything seemed to be working out for the team again. The only thing that was off was Tali. She was abnormally quiet on the ride back, something was bothering her. She had brushed it off when Shepard asked, but he knew her better. When they got back to the Normandy, he would talk to her after he had taken care of a few things first.

Tali got off the elevator in Engineering, but found that no work had to be done. Ken, Gabby, and Adams had taken care of everything while she was away. Her shift had technically ended a half hour ago, but she was going to stay late and help with anything she could. Since everything was completed, she made her way back to the elevator. Tali was going to press the Deck One button, but hesitated. At that moment, she realized how stressed she was. The war for Rannoch, the defeat on Thessia, helping Shepard with his stress, and what she had seen on Sanctuary had ground her down. Tali was near her own breaking point. She pushed the button for the Crew Deck, and knew she would regret later what she was about to do.

Shepard stepped out of the shower, feeling better now than he had at any point in the last week. He had finally bounced back. The help from Tali and Garrus, combined with a successful mission, had restored his confidence. Not only in himself, but in their ability to win this war. Now that he was clean, and his assault rifle and armor had been cleaned as well, he decided to check on Tali. Shepard stepped out of the bathroom, and noticed she wasn't in the cabin.

 _She must be down in Engineering, she really needs to take a break sometime_. he thought.

Shepard put on a t-shirt, jeans, and his leather N7 jacket. He made his way down to Engineering, but found it was empty. Not surprising, considering it was already nighttime.

"EDI, where's Tali?" he asked.

"Shepard, Tali is currently in the Port Observation Deck." EDI answered.

A little confused, Shepard headed there.

When he came through the doors, he found Tali slouched over the bar, drink in hand. She turned around to see who had come in.

"John! Wanna drink?" she exclaimed. "I'm toasting Miranda… I think."

"Uh… Tali, how are you getting drunk?" Shepard asked, surprised to see her in this condition.

"Veeery carefully. Turian brandy, triple filteeered, then introduced into the suit through an emergency induction port." she explained.

Shepard glanced down at her drink, and saw only a straw.

Barely stifling a laugh, he corrected, "That's a straw, Tali."

Tali looked up at him.

"Emeeergency induction pooort." she insisted. "It's actually getting a little haaarder to get it into the slot, I think that means it's working…"

Shepard took a seat on the stool next to her, and put an arm around her.

"What's this about toasting Miranda?" he asked. "I thought you two never really got along."

"She was _so_ rude. What did Jack call her? 'Cerberus Cheerleader'? With her perfect genes, and that attitude, and…" Tali paused, even in her drunken state she knew she was getting off track. "And still, she got it done. She stopped her father."

Tali raised her glass in a toast, and sipped more brandy through her emergency induction port.

"I didn't realize this would be so hard on you." Shepard admitted.

"I didn't like her. _Keelah_ , she was _such_ a bitch. But I respected her, sometimes that's better than liking." Tali replied. "She did whatever it took to stop her father. She never gave into him. Never changed herself to please him."

With the second mention of Miranda's father, Shepard knew what this was about. He had assumed it was just stress from the war, and he was partially right. But the real reason for Tali getting drunk was that she saw what she could've been all those years before she met Shepard. All those feelings of inadequacy, of trying to live up to expectations, had come flooding back. Though Shepard had helped her realize that she was truly good enough, she wished she hadn't spent the first 22 years of her life living in Rael's shadow.

"Ah." Shepard said.

Tali slapped Shepard's arm lightly, "Don't 'ah' me! You sound like a vorcha."

"Seeing a bit of yourself in Miranda fighting her father?" Shepard asked.

Tali paused, "I spent my entire life trying to live up to him, then making up for _his_ mistakes, doing what _he'd_ have wanted."

Shepard could tell by the quiver in her voice that she was getting emotional. He pulled her in close to him, and rubbed her arm. Shepard unfortunately couldn't relate to her situation. His parents had been farmers, and wanted better lives for their kids. All Shepard could do was console her.

"I understand." he said.

"When do we get to stop reacting to our parents and start living for ourselves?" Tali asked.

Shepard tried to lift her spirits a bit, and joked, "I think the answer to that one's at the bottom of that glass."

Tali let out a small laugh, "I might need help with the induction straw. Uh...port. You know."

She looked at him, and giggled.

Shepard smiled, "What's so funny?"

"I'm having a drink with my bondmate. My _human_ bondmate. Ha, my father would've hated you!" she answered.

"Here's to him then!" Shepard said.

"And to Miranda." Tali added. "Nice job, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader _bosh'tet_. _Keelah se'lai_!"

She raised her glass, and then introduced the rest of the brandy to her suit through the emergency induction port.

Shepard checked the clock on the wall, and saw that it was 22:47. It had been a long and tiring day, more tiring for some than others.

"Come on, dear, let's get you back to the cabin." he said, picking up Tali and carrying her in his arms.

Tali seemed to agree, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head into his chest.

"Deer? Isn't that an Earth animal? Why would you call me that?" Tali asked, perplexed.

Shepard chuckled softly, "No, _dear_. It's a human term of endearment."

"Ooohhh…" Tali said.

Shepard smiled, she was cute even when she was drunk. He took her up to their cabin, and gently laid her down on the bed. Within seconds of her head hitting the pillow, she was asleep. Shepard brought up his omnitool, and activated her suit's detox function. Back when Tali had rejoined the Normandy a few months ago, she had synced Shepard's omnitool to her suit. It was for emergencies, when Tali couldn't do something herself.

 _She'll thank me tomorrow morning when she wakes up without a hangover_. he thought, grinning.

Shepard got into his usual sleep attire, and crawled into bed next to her. He wrapped her in his arms, and fell asleep with the love of his life.


	29. Chapter 29: Stepping Away

The alarm clock went off promptly at 7:30, filling the cabin with an unpleasant beeping noise. Tali awoke grudgingly, and alerted EDI that she was awake. As the beeping ended, she noticed the distinct lack of another body in the bed next to her. Tali felt around the bed for Shepard, finding only empty sheets.

 _Hopefully everything is okay…_ she thought, feeling a little nervous as all the possible scenarios ran through her still drowsy mind.

Tali slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed so her feet touched the floor. A yawn escaped her body as she stretched her arms over her head. She noticed her omnitool blinking, an unread message waiting for her. Tali opened it, and smiled as she read it.

 _To: Tali  
_ _From: John_

 _Good morning, saera!_

 _Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, Admiral Hackett called, and I didn't want to keep him waiting. I remember you sent me a similar message the day I turned myself in to the Alliance. I read it every morning while I was in custody, it made waking up without you next to me a little bit more bearable. When this war is over, I want your face to be the first thing I see everyday when I wake up._

 _Forever yours,  
_ _John_

Tali's smile widened when she read 'Forever yours'. It reminded her that they were going to win this war. And when it was over, she and Shepard could finally be together without fearing if that day would be their last. Tali remembered the promise Shepard had made to her on Rannoch.

 _"I'm going to build you a house on the land you claimed. With the living room window right where you said it should be. I promise."_

She got out of bed and began putting her suit back together. Tali had gotten used to being out of her suit while in the cabin, and it made putting it back on even more difficult. She still wore parts of it while in the cabin, unfortunately Shepard and her hadn't gotten the chance to go clothes shopping on the Citadel. And as much as Shepard would've liked it, she wasn't going to spend all of her time in the cabin naked.

When she finished putting her suit on, Tali saw the little package she had gotten laying on the floor. In her inebriated state the previous night, she had forgotten that it had finally come in. She excitedly unwrapped it, and removed the contents. She had purchased it the last time the Normandy had been at the Citadel, while Shepard was in a meeting with the asari councilor. However, it had been on backorder, and would have to be delivered later. The package finally arrived in the last shipment of requisitions, and Tali managed to grab it without Shepard noticing. She set down the gift on the nightstand on Shepard's side of the bed before leaving for Engineering.

 _I hope he likes it_. Tali thought.

* * *

Half an hour later, Shepard had finally finished making all the calls he needed to. Hackett, Anderson, the Council, it seemed like everyone needed to talk to him that morning. The calls were mainly debriefings regarding what happened on Sanctuary, but Hackett had told him something unexpected. Shepard grinned as he told EDI to open ship-wide comms.

"Normandy crew, this is Commander Shepard. I have some news I think you'll want to hear." he announced. "The Alliance is planning an assault on the Cerberus headquarters, and Admiral Hackett has ordered the Normandy to the Citadel for repairs and renovations in preparation. So, for the entire crew, that means two months of shore leave."

Shepard imagined the reaction of the crew. Even though he never doubted their commitment to the mission, he knew each crew member wanted some time off. He couldn't blame them, he wanted the same thing. As much as he wanted to strike at Cerberus' heart now, he knew an attack on this scale would take time to come together. Their was a considerable amount of strategizing to be done, and all the ships involved would need to be fully prepared. Not only that, but each crew member needed to be at their best. They had been going nonstop for four months, and needed a break.

"We are currently in transit to the Citadel, and shore leave will begin immediately following docking." Shepard continued. "Enjoy yourselves, and try to not get into too much trouble. Shepard out."

Shepard then decided to make his rounds, talk to the crew. He did so regularly, he liked knowing where the crew was at and wanted to show he cared about them. Shepard made his way through the ship, talking with every crew member he could find. About an hour later, he finally made it to Engineering. Shepard always talked to Tali last, so they could talk as long as they wanted without feeling rushed. He found her not in her usual spot, but instead by the drive core. Since she wasn't by the door, she hadn't heard him come in.

Tali was trying to multitask, monitoring the Normandy's systems and analyzing data for the Admiralty Board as well. She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the person slowly coming up behind her. All of a sudden, Tali was torn from her work by the feeling of two arms wrapping around her waist and someone's head resting on her shoulder. She almost jumped at the sudden embrace, but knew exactly who it was. Tali placed one hand on Shepard's hands, and the other on his cheek.

She turned her head slightly towards him, "I missed you this morning."

Shepard squeezed her lightly.

"I know, but Hackett called unexpectedly. Did you get my message?" he asked.

"I did, and it made waking up without you next to me a little bit more bearable." she answered, using the same words he had.

Before Tali could turn around to hug him, the console in front of her caught her attention.

"Can't be… no, I guess that's right." she said.

"What are you working on?" Shepard asked, expecting to hear some technical jargon.

"I'm analyzing agriculture samples from Rannoch for the Admiralty Board… I don't know anything about raising crops."

Shepard released her and moved to her side, looking at the console. He turned to her, a smug grin on his face.

"Well, lucky for you, you fell in love with a guy who spent 16 years of his life on a farm." Shepard said.

Tali turned to him, and crossed her arms. "Oh, that's right!" she said, playfully. "So tell me, how do you plan to introduce seeds from plants that have adapted to sterilized soil back into their native environment?"

The grin from Shepard's face was gone in an instant, and Tali laughed at the sudden change in his expression.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well… uh… that's a good question. Why are the admirals making you study agriculture samples, you just said you know nothing about raising crops?"

"They aren't, I asked. Auntie Raan told me about the problems my people were having integrating back to Rannoch, and I offered to help" she answered.

"So besides this, how are they doing?" Shepard asked.

"It's crazy, the geth are… helping. Setting up housing, adapting power systems." Tali replied. "They've done in two weeks what would've taken us two _years_."

Shepard smiled, "Well that's good to hear."

"That's not even the craziest part!" she continued. "Geth are even uploading into the suits of volunteers. They're rewriting environmental functions, jump starting our immune systems."

"So the quarians won't have to wear enviro-suits anymore?" he asked.

"It doesn't seem possible, but yes. In a few years, with geth improvements we won't need them." Tali responded. "Today, on Rannoch, there are quarian children who will grow up healthy and strong, thanks to the geth."

Shepard took Tali's hands in his. "I know how much you care about your people, how much this means to you. And I couldn't be happier for you and your people." he said, looking into her eyes. He rubbed his thumbs on the leather of her suit, and joked, "Just let me know if you let a geth upload itself in there."

Tali giggled, and replied in a flirtatious tone, "The only person who gets inside my suit, is you." She took one of her hands, and stroked Shepard's cheek. "Now that that foolish war is over, nothing stands between us now. Whatever the galaxy throws at you, I'll be at your side." she told him.

Shepard smiled, "I wouldn't want anyone else, and I'll always be at yours."

Tali suddenly remembered her gift, "By the way, I left something for you in your… _our_ cabin. Go have a look."

After saying goodbye, Shepard headed back to the elevator. He noticed that Tali had corrected herself, saying 'our cabin'. Shepard was happy that she saw it that way, as he wanted her to. The decontamination cycle in the cabin finished, and he stepped inside. Shepard glanced around the room, looking for the object Tali had mentioned. Nothing seemed new or out of place. His model ships were still hanging over his desk, the fish still swam lazily in the tank. As his gaze shifted towards the bed, he instantly saw it. Shepard picked up his gift from Tali, a picture of her on Rannoch. Her pale, white skin was free from the confines of her suit. Her eyes shown brightly. Her wavy, black hair flowed in the breeze.

 _The most beautiful woman in the galaxy_. he thought.

Shepard gently set it back down, and pulled up his omnitool. He sent a quick message to Tali.

 _I love it, thank you. You're still as gorgeous as the time I first saw your face, and always will be to me._

* * *

Eight hours later, the Normandy arrived at the Citadel. Once all the logistics had been taken care of, everyone went their separate ways. James, Cortez, Joker, and EDI headed to Purgatory, while Liara, Kaidan, Adams, and Chakwas headed to the Presidium Commons. Garrus invited Shepard and Tali to a favorite bar of his, as none of them particularly enjoyed the nightclub atmosphere. They accepted, but wanted to get settled in first.

"So, where are we staying?" Tali asked.

"Well, EDI booked everyone rooms in this nice hotel on Silversun Strip. But, when I talked to Anderson this morning he offered me his apartment." Shepard answered. "Apparently it's pretty spacious, and I think I might get lonely without a certain quarian with me."

"Who could that be? Kal'Reegar?" Tali joked.

Shepard laughed, "As much as I respect him, I don't want him in bed next to me. So, Miss vas Normandy, would you like to stay with me?"

"Of course, my captain." Tali answered, smiling.

In order to avoid being recognized, Shepard had donned civilian clothes. He wore a gray t-shirt, jeans, his leather N7 jacket, a baseball hat, and aviator sunglasses. Having fans didn't bother him at all, in fact he enjoyed interacting with them. It reminded him what he was fighting for, and that he had people counting on him. But this time, he wanted to devote all his attention to Tali. The couple walked hand in hand down Silversun Strip, pointing out various activities they could do together. Shepard wanted to try out Armax Arsenal Arena, and Tali thought it would be fun to play some games at Castle Arcade. So far his disguise had worked, people thought he was just another human.

However, a human, or any race for that matter, holding hands with a quarian was an extremely rare sight. That gained the couple some wary looks from strangers, but most people were too busy to notice. Shepard could tell that Tali noticed the looks, but was trying to not let it bother her. He had even felt her grip on his hand go limp a few times, as if she expected him to pull his hand away. Shepard stopped, and gently turned Tali towards him. He took both her hands in his.

"Tali, you know I'm wearing this outfit to avoid being swarmed by fans, right?" Shepard asked. "I'm not trying to avoid being recognized holding hands with you. I'm not, nor will I ever be, embarrassed to hold your hand in public."

Tali looked up at him, a slight sadness in her voice, "I know, and I'm so happy that you're not embarrassed. It's just that… I pretend the stares and nasty looks don't hurt, but…"

Then Shepard did something she didn't expect. He removed his sunglasses, folded them, and hung them from his shirt's collar. He then gave his baseball hat to the nearest human. Instantly, everyone who saw him recognized him as Commander Shepard. Hero of Elysium, first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel. People from all races started to come towards him, eager to get an autograph or offer their thanks. But they paused when they noticed that he was the human that had been holding hands with the quarian. Shepard turned to them, refusing to let go of Tali's hand. He simply looked at the crowd, and then the couple continued on their way.

"John, you didn't have to do that. Now everyone will know that... you're in a relationship with a quarian." Tali said.

Shepard could hear the sadness in her voice, the pain that came from being looked down upon by the entire galaxy. He stopped her again, looking deep into her eyes.

With a smile on his face, and all the passion he had for her in his voice, he replied, "No, I did. I said I'm not embarrassed to be with you, I don't care who knows about it or what they'll think. Let the galaxy gossip, it'll _never_ change the way I feel about you. I love you with all my heart, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

Tali placed her visor against Shepard's forehead, "And I love you with all of mine, John Shepard."


	30. Chapter 30: Shore Leave

**Author's Note: Two quick things. First, I apologize for the delay in writing this chapter. Last was pretty hectic, and I couldn't find time to write. Second, Unbreakable Bond now has over 15,000 views! A huge thank you to all of you for reading!**

* * *

Shepard and Tali walked hand in hand the rest of the way to Anderson's apartment. They ignored the stares and mean looks some people cast towards them. All they cared about at the moment was each other. They were each other's world, and planned on using their shore leave to spend some much needed time together. Of course, they would meet up with friends every once and awhile, but this shore leave was primarily about just the two of them.

"My omnitool says we're getting close to the apartment, do you see it?" Tali asked.

Shepard glanced around before spotting the building and pointing to it, "Yeah, right over there. Tiberius Towers."

Shepard and Tali hurried over to the building, excited to see where they would be staying for the next two months.

After a quick elevator ride, they arrived on the floor the apartment was on. Tali was already awestruck from just seeing the lobby and hallways. Tiberius Towers was fancier than any place she had ever stayed at before. Most nice hotels on the Citadel were too expensive for quarians, and some didn't even allow quarians to stay there even if they could afford it. Shepard noticed Tali gleefully taking in her surroundings and smiled.

 _God knows she deserves this. Just wait until she sees the actual apartment._

Shepard had never seen Anderson's apartment for himself, but had researched Tiberius Towers on the extranet when Anderson had offered the apartment to Shepard. He had seen pictures of apartments that were for rent, and was blown away but how upscale they were.

When they opened the door to Anderson's apartment, both Shepard and Tali's jaws hit the floor.

" _Keelah_ …" Tali whispered, shocked by the sight.

The apartment was absolutely massive, the pictures online of similar apartments didn't do it justice. Shepard and Tali wandered around the apartment, taking in the sight for themselves. Tali gravitated to the enormous windows, which ran all along the side of the apartment. Looking out, she could see skycars zooming past, and Silversun Strip down below. She could even see Ryuusei Sushi, a restaurant she had always wanted to go to. Shepard wandered over to the entertainment area, which boasted a huge flat screen TV, a fireplace, and a fully stocked bar.

"John, this place is huge. We… we shouldn't keep it to ourselves." Tali said.

She had never imagined being able to live in a place with so much space, their cabin aboard the Normandy was the most spacious place she'd ever lived. Her quarian sensibilities told her that the space would be wasted with just Shepard and her living there. However, she reminded herself the quarians had a homeworld now. They didn't have to worry about space anymore.

Shepard chuckled, "I figured you'd say something like that."

He walked over to her, and took her hands in his.

"Tali, you deserve this, more than anyone else on the Normandy. You've always thought of the crew first, and you continue to do so." Shepard said, looking deep into her eyes. "Also, the rest of the crew is staying at a great hotel, Hackett made sure of it. You can be selfish just this once."

Tali realized that she wasn't going to change Shepard's mind. He wanted her to think of herself first for once, they were on shore leave after all.

"Okay, just this once." Tali replied, in a fake annoyed tone.

Shepard smiled, "Good. Now, let's go check out the bedroom."

Shepard scooped Tali off her feet and into his arms, eliciting a squeal of surprise from Tali.

"John, what are you doing?" she asked, laughing and playfully slapping him on the chest.

Shepard answered with a grin, "Being romantic, now shh."

" _Bosh'tet_." Tali responded, shaking her head.

She secretly liked it when Shepard carried her, though she would never admit it. They made their way to the bedroom, and Shepard set Tali down when they entered. Along with everything else in the apartment, the bedroom was huge. Shepard sat down on the king-sized bed, and fell back into it. He let out a groan at how soft it was, closing his eyes as all the tension left his body. He felt a weight on top of him, and when he opened his eyes he saw a luminescent pair inches away from his own. Tali had crawled on top of him, and was straddling him. Shepard felt a gloved hand underneath his shirt. Knowing where this was going, he reluctantly had to stop her.

"Tali, this isn't our cabin, there's no decontamination unit. I don't want you to get sick." Shepard stated.

Tali stopped, and hit a few buttons on her omnitool. Antibiotics and immuno-boosters poured into her bloodstream. She reached up, and unclasped her visor. Shepard again marveled at how beautiful her face was, as he did every time she removed her visor.

"In that case, I better start adapting as soon as possible." Tali said, planting her lips on Shepard's.

After a few more kisses, Tali sadly put her visor back on. Even with the antibiotics and immuno-boosters, she was sure to get an allergic reaction from the new environment.

Shepard brought his hand to her visor, "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Flatterer, only every time I take of my suit." Tali giggled, blushing. _Keelah, girl… he's going to be your lifemate and you still blush every time he calls you beautiful?_

"Well, what kind of a bondmate would I be if I never reminded you that you're the most gorgeous woman in the galaxy?" Shepard asked, a warm smile on his face.

Tali's cheeks were on fire now, and was almost glad she had her visor on.

"You'd still be the man I love, the other half of my soul." Tali answered, love in her voice. "I'll always love you, nothing you could do will ever change that."

The couple hugged tightly.

"I'll always love you too." Shepard promised.

"Even if I pulled my shotgun on you?" Tali joked.

Shepard laughed, "That might work on Garrus, but it won't on me. Speaking of Garrus, we should probably head to the bar, we've kept him waiting long enough."

As they were on their way out of the apartment, the incoming call light on the QEC started flashing. Shepard answered, and Anderson's face popped up on the TV.

"Shepard." Anderson greeted. "And Tali, good to see you."

Anderson wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Shepard and Tali each with an arm around the other. He had noticed how emotional their goodbye had been when Shepard had surrendered to the Alliance. Anderson had his suspicions they were together, this just proved it. He didn't know Tali well, but from what he saw and what Shepard had told him, he could tell she was a fine soldier, an expert engineer, and a wonderful woman. Anderson smiled, glad to see they were together.

"Good to see you too, Anderson." Tali greeted.

"How are you holding up?" Shepard asked.

Anderson tried to hide how tired he actually was, "Day by day, Commander."

"We wanted to thank you for letting us stay in your apartment while we're on shore leave." Tali thanked. "It's a beautiful place, and we promise to leave it exactly how it is."

"Actually, Tali, I want you and Shepard to have it. Take it off my hands." Anderson stated.

Surprised, Shepard asked, "Are you serious?"

"Admiral, thank you for your generous offer, but we couldn't possibly accept. This is your home." Tali replied.

"Nonsense, you two need a place that's yours. Somewhere you can recharge, clear your heads." Anderson insisted. "Besides, the longer I'm on Earth, the less I want to leave. Once this war is over, I'm going to retire and settle down here."

Tali saw the same stubbornness in Anderson that she saw in Shepard. She realized Anderson also wasn't going to change his mind. Still, she was speechless, unable to comprehend a place this spacious being her home.

"That's very generous, thank you." Shepard thanked.

Anderson added, "It's practical, we need you two in the best shape possible. Rested. Focused."

"We can never repay you for your kindness." Tali stated, finally finding her words again.

"Don't worry about it, you're actually doing me favor. Now I don't have to go through the hassle of selling it." Anderson replied. "And before you even think of offering me money, I got this apartment free of charge when I was a councilor. Now make yourselves at home, it's yours now."

Shepard pulled Tali a little closer, "I think we'll manage. Thank you again."

"You're welcome. Unfortunately, I have to go, but I'll talk to you soon. Anderson out."

* * *

Hailing a taxi outside, Shepard and Tali arrived at the bar Garrus had specified. The bar was crowded, but not overly so. They found their turian sitting at a table in a quiet corner with a dextro beer, two empty chairs around the table. The couple sat down, and Shepard put an arm around Tali's shoulders.

"Sorry we're late Garrus, we got held up at the apartment. Hopefully we didn't keep you waiting too long." Shepard apologized.

"Don't worry, I just got here five minutes ago. I got sidetracked at a gun shop, and ended up buying a new sniper scope." Garrus replied. "So, how's the apartment."

"It's beautiful, and more spacious than any living area I've ever seen." Tali answered. "And Anderson gave it us. I… I still don't feel right accepting."

"Oh come on, Tali. If anyone on the Normandy deserves it, it's you and Shepard." Garrus retorted.

Tali sighed, "I guess… it'll just take me awhile to adjust. My whole life in the Fleet, we were always so concerned about space. Now that we have Rannoch, we don't need to worry anymore."

Shepard squeezed Tali's shoulder, "You, and your people, deserve everything you have. Now, I'll go get us some drinks. Red wine for you?"

Tali answered in the affirmative, and Shepard got up to go to the bartender.

Once Shepard was out of earshot, Garrus leaned closer to Tali.

"How's he doing?" he asked. "Any more incidents since Thessia?"

Tali shook her head, "No. Despite how dark Horizon was, I think the mission being a success really helped. Also, thanks again for your help. The sparring match really helped him too."

"Of course, anything for Shepard. Spirits know how many times he pulled all of our asses out of the fire, it felt good to repay a little of what I owe to him." Garrus replied. "That goes for you too. If you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Garrus. Same for you." Tali thanked.

Shepard just then came back, and placed a tube of red turian wine in front of Tali.

"Wine for my girlfriend, and a beer for me." he said.

"Why thank you, _boyfriend._ " Tali replied, giving him a quick tap on the forehead with her visor.

"I know I'd usually say some smartass comment, but it's good to see you two relax and actually be able to be a couple." Garrus confessed, taking a gulp of his beer.

Shepard squeezed Tali's hand, "Well, we're officially on shore leave now. Might as well relax while we can."

"Now we just have to find you a girl, Garrus." Tali added.

Garrus chuckled, " _Please_ , Tali. I'm more than capable of getting women on my own. Remember, women love scars."

"Not when they make your face look like it went through a meatgrinder." Shepard joked.

Garrus laughed, "Very funny, Shepard. I miss the days fighting the Collectors when we could use your face as a night light."

After the laughter had died down, Garrus asked, "So, I have to ask, and I'm pretty sure everyone else on the Normandy wants to know. When are you two getting bonded?"

Shepard and Tali turned towards each other, big smiles on both their faces. It wasn't something they had discussed, they just both knew it was something they wanted to happen.

"Well, with everything that's been going on, we haven't had time to plan anything." Tali confessed. "I've always dreamed of being bonded on Rannoch... that is, if you want to..."

Shepard interrupted her by taping his forehead to her visor, "If you want us to be bonded on Rannoch, so do I." He turned back to Garrus, "Looks like you have your answer."

"Just so you know, I have the perfect bonding gift for you two." Garrus stated.

Tali replied, "I'm sure we'll love it. I always knew you were a big softie."

The three friends stayed at the bar long into the night, having a few more drinks along the way. They discussed their plans for after the war, with Shepard and Tali revealing their intention of building a house and raising a family on Rannoch. The trio reminisced about their past missions together, and recalled how they all met. Shepard even made a toast to the fallen. They shared their best memories with each of their fallen comrades. It was the perfect start to a much needed shore leave. A night full of laughter and good conversation between friends, which was exactly what each of the three needed. All three hoped for a time when nights like this were normal, when the Reapers and Cerberus were no longer a threat.


	31. Chapter 31: Pardon the Interruption

"Joker! Thanks for getting us this reservation." Shepard greeted, patting Joker on the back.

Not hard enough to do any damage, he made sure.

"Shepard! Not bad, huh?" Joker replied. "Only had to save the galaxy _twice_ to get a table here."

Shepard glanced around Ryuusei's, and couldn't help but feel a bit out of place being in such a high class establishment. He preferred eating at diners or bars like the one he went to with Tali and Garrus the night before; he felt more at home in those settings. But, apparently the food here was to die for, so Shepard could put up with the snooty crowd for one night.

"Celebrity status does have it's perks, I wonder if they'll give us a discount if I record an endorsement for them." he joked.

Joker laughed, "Please don't, that's why I never go to Zakera Ward whenever we're on shore leave here. I don't need to know that every store is your favorite whenever I hobble past."

"Just be glad I never bought one of those Shepard VIs and replaced EDI with it." Shepard added, causing them both to laugh.

Joker then waved the waiter over, and the two ordered their drinks. The waiter promptly returned with a glass of whiskey on the rocks for Joker, a pale German lager for Shepard, and set a sterilized tube of turian wine in front of the empty chair.

"So, where's Tali? I thought you said she was coming, and you got her a drink?" Joker asked.

Shepard took a swig of his beer, "She's on her way, she went clothes shopping with Liara and is running a little late. Something about not being able to choose between two new fabric designs for her suit."

Joker chuckled, "Women. I'm just glad my girlfriend never needs to go clothes shopping."

"Speaking of EDI, why didn't she come?" Shepard asked.

"She wanted to, mostly to 'observe high-class organic social interactions'." Joker explained. "But, Ryuusei's has a strict, 'no synthetic' policy. I tried to explain that she was just a mobility-assistance VI, but I guess celebrity status only gets you so far."

"You should've told me, I'm sure I could've gotten her in. You know, put my Spectre status to good use." Shepard stated. "I'm planning on doing that if they don't let Tali in, and giving them a stern lesson on common courtesy and respect."

Just then, a panicked woman in an Alliance uniform came running over to their table.

"Commander Shepard! I'm Staff Analyst M-Maya Brooks, A-Alliance Intelligence." she exclaimed, in a rushed and nervous manner. "There are people trying to kill you!"

Brooks didn't quite get the reaction she was expecting. Shepard and Joker just stared at her, then nonchalantly looked towards each other.

Joker turned back towards Brooks, "Yeah... I think he's aware of that."

"No, I-I don't mean Cerberus and the Reapers! I mean other people, new people!" Brooks explained.

Before she could go on, Shepard noticed heavily armed men wearing all-black combat armor striding into the restaurant.

 _I assume these would be the new people_. he thought.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" the leader exclaimed. "Tonight's performance is brought to you by random acts of violence."

As if on cue, the other men started firing their weapons into the ceiling. Patrons scattered everywhere, panicked by the gunfire. Acting on instinct, Shepard flipped their table on its side, and pulled Joker to the floor. Brooks dropped to the floor and froze, hands covering her ears.

"Man, I love show business!" the leader continued. "Spread out boys, find me Shepard!"

Shepard was running through possible plans in his head, trying to determine the best course of action. They were obviously mercs, but Shepard didn't recognize the uniforms. Before he could formulate a plan, Brooks was dragged away by one of the mercs.

"Sir, I found a woman in an Alliance uniform!" the merc announced.

Shepard reached for his Carnifex, but found his holster empty. He silently cursed, remembering that he left it at the apartment, figuring he wouldn't need it. Just then, he had an idea.

Shepard turned to Joker, "Find the crew, I'm going after Brooks."

Joker nodded, and began sneaking away. One of the mercs noticed Joker, and began walking towards him. He raised his pistol as he passed in front of the table Shepard was hiding behind. Before the merc could fire, Shepard pulled the merc over the table and thrust his omni-blade deep into the merc's chest. Shepard silently cursed again when he found this particular merc had only been carrying a pistol.

 _Oh well, better than nothing_.

He leaned out of cover, and fired a shot in the closest merc's head. Shepard managed to neutralize the rest of the mercs rather quickly, and moved through the restaurant towards the entrance. He saw Brooks lying near the stairs outside, and began running to her. Before he could, merc reinforcements arrived. The closest fired his assault rifle at Shepard, missing him but causing the glass floor beneath him to shatter.

As Shepard fell through the floor of Ryuusei's into the fish tank, he couldn't help but noticed that this wasn't how he expected his shore leave would go. He had planned on relaxing, hanging out with his friends, and most importantly, spending some quality alone-time with Tali. Fighting unknown mercs and falling into fish tanks wasn't on his itinerary. Another hail of bullets shattered the bottom of the fish tank, plunging Shepard into a freefall. He quickly stuck out his right arm to try to grab onto a nearby neon sign. His hand broke through several bulbs before he broke his fall. Shepard gripped the sign tightly, and tried to get a foothold. His weight was too much, however, and the bulb he stepped on shattered. Shepard lost his grip and fell once again, this time landing on a slanted glass wall. He tumbled down the side of it, before grabbing hold of a platform. Hanging on the side of the platform, Shepard looked up to see the sign from before careening towards him. He once again lost his grip when the sign impacted the platform, and everything went dark when he fell to the ground below.

Shepard woke up a few moments later, feeling as if his head had been struck by a hammer. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a puddle of water, with some blood mixed in. Shattered glass was all around him, and water from the fish tank in Ryuusei's still trickled down. Shepard tried to sit up, but fell back down when his ribs screamed in protest. When the pain dulled, he slowly sat himself up. Shepard glanced at his right hand, and saw that it was bleeding heavily. It had been cut badly when he tried to break his fall by grabbing the sign, and a couple shards of glass were still stuck in it. Shepard winced in pain when he pulled the shards out.

 _A few fractured ribs, a heavily bleeding hand, and mercs trying to kill me. What a great night_ … he mused.

Shepard tried to stand up, and almost fell back down from shooting pain in his left ankle.

 _And a possibly sprained ankle._

With his good hand, he searched his leather jacket and jean pockets for his emergency medigel stash. He cursed silently a third time when he realized he left that at the apartment as well. Shepard took off his jacket and t-shirt, tearing a large chunk of cloth from the shirt. He wrapped the cloth around his right hand in an attempt to stop or slow the bleeding. He put his leather jacket back on, not wanting to run through the wards shirtless. Luckily, the pistol Shepard had taken from the merc was lying a few feet away from him, and his shields were at full strength. He grabbed the pistol, and slapped in a fresh thermal clip. Sufficiently patched up for the time-being, Shepard took off to find an escape route. He hobbled through the wards, Brooks directing his movements over the comms. Shepard easily took down the unaware mercs who were canvassing the area. Despite their heavy armament and high-quality gear, he was surprised at their lack of communication and team coordination.

As he pushed on, the voice of an angel came over the comms.

"John? Do you read me? Are you alright?" Tali asked.

The concern and fear for his well-being was evident in her voice.

"I'm okay, Tali, for now." he answered, trying his best to sound calm and not in pain. "I could use some backup, though."

Tali breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. _Keelah_ … I was so worried." she said, her concerns and fears abated for the moment. "Joker explained what happened. I'm on foot, but I should be there soon."

"Looking forward to seeing you." Shepard responded, trying to lighten the mood.

After about ten minutes of wandering through the wards and dispatching more mercs, Shepard came to a skycar lot. As he was about to open the door, he heard two shotgun blasts come from the other side. Shepard readied his pistol, and scanned the area immediately as the door opened. On the ground he saw two dead mercs, their backs peppered by shotgun slugs. From their position, it appeared as if they had been planning to ambush him. Shepard looked up to see the love of his life standing ten yards away, the barrel of her shotgun smoking.

"My guardian angel." he greeted.

Tali's concern caused her to unintentionally ignore his comment.

"John! Are you alright?" she asked, hurriedly. " _Keelah_ , your hand!"

Tali noticed the bloodstained cloth, and quickly applied medigel to his wound. When she was finished, she looked up at him.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked.

Tali wasn't acting merely like a teammate helping another teammate, there was the concern that only comes from love in her voice.

Shepard smiled to ease her worries.

"I'm fine, now that you're here. Thanks for patching me up." he said.

Tali finally seemed to relax a bit, "Good. The lot's landing pad is right over there, but it's behind a locked gate."

"Well, good thing I have the best hacker in the galaxy with me." Shepard replied. "Come on, let's look for a control panel."

It was just then that Tali noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, only his leather jacket. It was unzipped, so she could see his defined abs and part of his muscular chest.

"By the way, nice outfit." Tali complimented, in a sultry tone.

Against his better judgement, Shepard got caught up in her flirting. He grabbed her hips and pulled her close.

"You like this look?" he asked, in the same tone she used.

"Mmm. Definitely." Tali answered, desire dripping from her voice.

She let out a soft purr as she ran her hands slowly along his abs.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment, but there are still mercs out there trying to kill you!" Brooks interrupted over the comms.

Shepard and Tali separated immediately, embarrassed that someone had overheard their private moment.

"Ok… uh… let's go find that control panel." Shepard said, sheepishly.

They ventured into the skycar lot, searching for the panel.

"Did you really fall through a fish tank?" Tali inquired.

Shepard laughed softly, "I'll tell you all about it when we get out of here."

"Do you remember back when _you_ used to rescue _me_ in the wards?" she asked playfully.

"Of course, that's the day I met the prettiest girl in the galaxy." he answered, smiling warmly. "Thanks for finally repaying the favor, by the way."

Tali laughed, "You're welcome, _bosh'tet_."

The two came across the manager's office, but the door was locked.

"I know you're a great hacker, but we have to move fast." Shepard stated, raising his gun. "Stand back."

Tali lowered his gun with her hand, noticing the volus manager was inside the office.

She knocked on the door, and politely asked the manager, "Could you please open the gate?"

The manager complied, and Tali thanked him. She looked at Shepard, and gave him a smug look before walking away proudly, swinging her hips.

"Well, I could've done that." Shepard stated.

As they walked onto the landing pad, a shuttle marked as C-Sec came flying in. However, as the door opened, it was revealed the passengers were all mercenaries. They unleashed a torrent of gunfire upon the couple, but they managed to get in cover before getting hit. They were effectively pinned down, and Shepard's mind raced trying to find a way out. Luckily, he wouldn't need to. He heard shattering glass above him, and looked up to see a 500 lb krogan falling out of the sky a story or two above. Shepard smiled as he recognized him.

 _Wrex_.

Wrex landed on top of the shuttle with a thud, causing it to crash onto the landing pad. He quickly jumped down and charged into the shuttle, body slamming a merc into the other closed door. He headbutted another, and delivered two bone crunching punches to the stomach and head of the third merc. With the last merc, Wrex calmly picked him up and opened the other door, tossing him out. The merc fell, arms flailing, until he landed hard on a platform a few stories down. Wrex turned around to walk out, but noticed the merc he had body slammed was slowly pushing himself up. Wrex walked back over to him, and kicked him out of the shuttle, sending him falling to the same platform below. With all the remaining mercs taken care of, Wrex calmly walked over to Shepard and Tali.

"Shepard. Tali." Wrex greeted, nodding to them both.

"Wrex." The couple greeted in unison, nodding as well.


	32. Chapter 32: On the Trail

"So, Liara, what did you find?" Shepard asked.

It was the day after the attempted assassination of Shepard, and all the members of the Normandy's ground team had assembled in Shepard and Tali's apartment. Since the mercenaries had targeted Shepard specifically, it was a likely possibility that the rest of the specialists could be targets as well. They were all gathered around the conference table, waiting to hear what Liara had found.

 _Being friends with the Shadow Broker definitely has its perks._ Shepard admitted.

Liara relayed all the information she had dug up. The merc group was named CAT6, after "Category 6", the term Alliance Command used for soldiers who had been dishonorably discharged. Unfortunately, since CAT6 was a relatively new organization, Liara hadn't been able to dig up any information regarding their structure or leadership. She had, however, been able to trace the M-11 Suppressor that Shepard grabbed off a dead merc. The trail led back to a casino owner named Elijah Khan, who ran the Silver Coast Casino on Silversun Strip. Khan most likely had no idea what his gun had been used for, and surely didn't expect Shepard and his team to come after him. It was the only lead they had, so Shepard decided they would pay Khan a visit. If they could get him to reveal who in CAT6 he sold the gun to, they would have another lead.

As luck would have it, Khan was hosting a charity event for war refugees that night in the Silver Coast. It would be the perfect cover for them to try to get to Khan, and Shepard formulated a plan. A small team would casually infiltrate the casino, blending in with the crowd. Once inside, they would locate Khan's panic room and find a way in. It was decided that Brooks would infiltrate the casino through the air ducts, and disable the panic room door camera from the storage area. Shepard just needed to decide who else to take with him.

"Tali, what about you?" he asked.

"Oh no, I shouldn't be the one to go with you. We don't even know if the casino will let quarians inside." She answered. "Even if they do, all the guards will be watching me, I'll draw too much attention to us."

Shepard grinned, "Alright, you make a fair case. It's decided, you're coming with me."

"What?" Tali asked, puzzled. "I just said…"

"Think about it, Tali." he calmly interrupted. "I'm Commander Shepard. If I show up to the charity event, they'll let me bring in anyone I want. And if all the guards will be watching you, that'll make Brooks' job even easier. Everyone will be focused on us, they won't notice someone climbing through the ducts."

"He makes a good point." Garrus agreed. "You should go with him."

Tali secretly was glad she would be going with Shepard, even though she had initially protested. It would be like a fancy date, even if it was a mission. Unbeknownst to her, Shepard was thinking the same thing.

* * *

It was go time. Shepard and Tali were in a skycar that had just gently landed outside the Silver Coast Casino. The door opened, and Shepard stepped out first, quickly adjusting his tuxedo. He couldn't remember the last time he wore a tux, and no matter how he adjusted it, it never felt quite right. Shepard offered a hand to Tali, who took it, and he chivalrously helped her out of the car. Tali was wearing her beautiful new fabric suit adornment she had purchased the day before with Liara, which had the same swirling pattern as her usual one stitched into it. The only difference was the colors, it was snow white with charcoal black outlines. Once she was out of the car, Shepard offered his arm to her. Tali gladly accepted, and hooked her arm around his.

"You're looking good." Tali complemented, admiring the sharp dressed man she called her own.

"Who, me? You look absolutely stunning, you're obviously the center of attention." Shepard responded, smiling warmly at the woman he called his own.

Tali blushed, and pulled herself a little closer to Shepard. He wasn't lying, Tali put the other women around to shame. Of course, Shepard was more than a little biased. But the looks of envy from the other women confirmed his statement. Some of the looks were due to her outfit, some were due to the fact that she was the one Commander Shepard had locked arms with. Regardless of the reason, Tali secretly was enjoying the envious looks.

 _That's right, bosh'tets. He's mine_. she thought.

As the couple began walking down the roped-off entryway, they both noticed how high-class of an event this really was. Shepard wondered just how much their tickets had cost, but realized that with Liara in possession of the Shadow Broker's funds, cost wasn't an issue. Paparazzi were snapping pictures of all the guests, and all turned their attention to the two of them. Commander Shepard had arrived, and had locked arms with a quarian woman. All the photographers knew this was going to be a hot story, and eagerly tried to get photos of the couple. Shepard could see Tali shy away, obviously not used to all the attention.

Shepard leaned over and whispered, "Follow my lead."

He then smiled and waved at the crowd, and gladly showed off his bondmate to the paparazzi. With her nerves calmed, Tali did the same. Once they had made their way inside, Shepard and Tali met up with Brooks. They went over the plan one final time, and parted ways. The first part of the plan was to mingle for an hour, in order to look like ordinary guests. Shepard and Tali went one way, and Brooks went the other.

The couple walked over to the casino floor, where each was given a complimentary credit chit for gambling worth 1,000 credits. Tali gave Shepard her chit; as a quarian, she had never gambled before, and didn't know how to play any of the games. He reluctantly took her chit, on the condition that she play with him. The couple moved towards the section with human games, the only ones Shepard knew how to play. Tali stopped at a roulette table, and Shepard explained the rules to her. He started small, betting 100 credits on black. Tali watched as the dealer spun the wheel and ball, and the ball landed on 18, a red number.

Shepard sighed, "Well, we're off to a good start. Why don't you give it a try?"

Tali became nervous at the aspect of losing money.

She began rambling, "No no no I couldn't I'd probably lose anyway you know much more than I do I haven't even seen this game before…"

Shepard gently took her hands that were wringing by her waist.

He smiled his comforting smiled, "Hey, it's okay. It's the casino's money anyway, and we might as well have some fun tonight. We'll start small, red or black?"

Tali thought for a second, "Um...black."

She picked black because it was the color of her enviro-suit, and of Shepard's tuxedo. Still a little unsure of what to do, she repeated what Shepard had said the first time.

"100 on black." she told the dealer.

Tali watched nervously as the ball rolled around and around the wheel. She held her breath when the ball bounced, and released it when it landed on 10, a black number.

"Look at that! Nice call, Tali." Shepard congratulated.

Tali clapped happily, overjoyed that she had won and relieved that she hadn't cost them any money. They spent the next 20 minutes at the roulette table, leaving with more credits than what they started with. Next up was the blackjack table. Shepard, sensing Tali had gained some confidence in her gambling skills, offered her her chit back. She took it, but vowed to give it back if she started losing. After explaining the rules, the couple took their seats at the table. Shepard placed his usual bet of 100 credits. Tali, since this was her first time playing, placed the minimum bet of 50 credits. The dealer dealt the cards, and Tali had to keep herself from squealing when she saw an ace and a king. Shepard ended up busting on that hand, but Tali automatically won with 21. They played for another 20 minutes, before leaving with just over 3,000 credits between them.

"So, what should we do next?" Shepard asked.

Tali thought she heard dance music, and grabbed Shepard's hand, leading him upstairs. She loved dancing, and she had never gotten the chance to dance with Shepard before. Her suspicions were confirmed, there was a dance floor filled with people from various races.

"John, we have to dance. Please?" Tali asked.

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He knew he wasn't a good dancer at all, but Tali wanted to dance, so he would.

"If anyone else had asked, I'd say no." Shepard answered. "But for you? Of course."

Tali excitedly pulled him on the dance floor. The two found a bit of open space, and Tali began moving to the beat of the music. Shepard began to do his usual dance, which the Normandy crew had affectionately named "The Shepard Shuffle".

A few songs later, an inebriated asari dressed in a very revealing dress started dancing close to Shepard. Shepard took a few steps away, trying to politely convey that he wasn't interested. The asari either was too drunk to notice or didn't care, as she followed him and started grinding on him. A deep, burning jealousy flared inside of Tali. Before Shepard could shoo her away, Tali stepped in. She pushed the asari, who stumbled back a few feet.

"Stay away from my bondmate you _bosh'tet_!" Tali yelled.

The asari pushed Tali back, "Like Commander Shepard would choose a suit-rat over me!"

Shepard stepped in between the two women, looking daggers at the asari.

"She _is_ my bondmate. Even if she wasn't, I'd choose her over you any day." Shepard lashed out. "Now, you apologize to my bondmate for calling her a 'suit-rat' right now. Or I'll use my Spectre authority and toss your blue ass out of this place."

Hearing the harshness in his words, the asari's mood turned from angry to terrified in an instant.

"I-I'm sorry for c-calling you a suit-rat." she stuttered, and beat a hasty retreat.

Shepard turned back to Tali, and hugged her.

"I'm sorry she called you that, and I'm sorry I didn't get rid of her sooner." he apologized.

Tali hugged Shepard back tightly.

"Don't be sorry, I know you were trying to be polite." she replied. "And thanks for standing up for me, though I wish you would've let me punch her."

He chuckled softly, "We can probably still catch her."

"No, I think you made her wet herself. That should be enough." Tali joked.

"We still have about ten minutes left, care to dance?" Shepard asked.

Tali responded by spinning around, placing his hands on her hips, and pressing her butt against him. For the next ten minutes, through her dancing, Tali made sure everyone knew who Shepard belonged to. Shepard, obviously, had no complaints.

After ten minutes, it was time to move onto the infiltration stage. Brooks radioed the couple, saying she needed a distraction so she could get into the vents.

Shepard spotted the nearest guard, "Excuse me sir, I think I saw someone doing red sand in the bathroom over there."

"Thank you for notifying security." the guard thanked, then hurriedly went into said bathroom.

Brooks used the distraction to get into the vents. When Brooks radioed in needing another distraction, Tali took the lead.

She walked over to the guard, "Hi, I was just over by the quasar machines, and I thought I saw someone using an omnitool to rig the game."

"Thanks for letting us know, could you point out where?" the guard asked.

When the guard left, Shepard said to Tali, "Not bad. Next one is mine."

When Brooks needed another distraction, Shepard tried to oneup Tali.

"Hey, pervert! Did I just see you staring at my girlfriend's ass?!" he accused.

"N-no sir! I-I assure you I wasn't!" The guard hastily replied.

"Well done, but I think I can do better." Tali stated.

When another distraction was needed, Tali was ready. "I… lost a lot of money. Who can I talk to about… getting it back."

"Uh… I'm sorry, ma'am. You can't get it back." the guard replied.

Then, Tali began the most convincing fake-crying he had ever heard.

"No… ma'am… please don't cry." the guard said, obviously feeling very uncomfortable.

After a few seconds, Tali sniffed and stopped crying. She walked with her head down and shoulders slumped until she was out of the guard's sight.

"Wow, you win. That was actually impressive." Shepard admitted.

Tali giggled, "Just wait until I use it on you."

A few minutes later, Brooks alerted the two of them that the security cameras facing the door to Khan's panic room were disabled. Shepard covered Tali while she hacked her way past the door. When the door opened, the two rushed inside. Khan was sitting at his chair behind his desk, facing away from the door.

"Khan, I'm not here to threaten you, but we need to talk." Shepard stated.

When he got no response, Tali walked behind Khan's desk.

"Well, this is inconvenient." she said as she spun Khan's chair around, revealing a bullet hole in his head.

With this lead a dead end, Shepard had Tali grab whatever data she could off Khan's computer. They quickly regrouped with Brooks and headed back to the apartment. Tali handed the data she found to Liara, who had Glyph begin analyzing it. Shepard and Tali plopped down on the couch. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"That was quite the party. Well, except for the murder at the end." Tali said.

"I'm glad you had a good time." Shepard replied, squeezing her shoulder.

Tali continued, "It's not everyday a quarian gets to mingle with the rich and famous."

"It seemed like you were having fun causing distractions." he added.

"Whatever it takes to get you to bring me somewhere nice." she responded, elbowing Shepard softly in the ribs.


	33. Chapter 33: End of the Line

**Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who has left a review for "Unbreakable Bond". I truly appreciate every review, it's the support from you all that keeps me going! If you are enjoying the story, or have any constructive criticism, please drop a review and let me know!**

* * *

The breaching charge detonated, and a large chuck of the ceiling was blasted away. The four CAT6 mercs were taken by surprise, even more so when several flash grenades were dropped from the ceiling. Stunned, blinded, and disoriented, the mercs didn't stand a chance when Shepard, Tali, and Garrus jumped down from the ceiling. After the trio dispatched the mercenaries, Shepard motioned for Team Mako and Team Hammerhead to advance. Liara had worked her Shadow Broker magic once again. She had discovered that the mysterious criminal was after Shepard's Spectre access codes. With those codes, the identity thief could wreak havoc across the galaxy. Glyph had detected that Shepard's codes had just been used at the Citadel Archives, and the Normandy ground team was there in no time. Team Shepard, consisting of Shepard, Tali, and Garrus, had inserted directly onto the Archives ground floor. Teams Mako and Hammerhead were on the second floor.

Just as the three teams started to advance, numerous red targeting lasers appeared on the chest of every team member.

"Ambush!" Shepard yelled, diving for cover.

His warning was unnecessary, three years of combat missions had forged everyone into battle-hardened veterans. Everyone instinctively dove for cover, and made it to safety before the bullets started flying. Though the teams initially held their own, it quickly became apparent they were surrounded.

"That's enough!" an eerily familiar voice yelled.

The bullets stopped flying, and Shepard looked up to see Brooks being held hostage on the second floor. Due to the shadows, he couldn't see who the gunman was. Shepard could tell it was a man by the voice, and the silhouette was that of someone tall and physically fit.

"Drop your weapons, or she dies!" the voice demanded.

CAT6 mercs surrounded each team, guns drawn.

Shepard sighed, "Do it."

Slowly, every ground team member laid their weapons on the floor and raised their hands. The man pushed Brooks off the ledge, who landed hard one story below.

Shepard glared up at the man, "You won't get away with this! There's nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide!"

The man laughed, "Hide?"

He took a few steps forward, revealing his face. Shepard saw himself staring back at him.

"I'm Commander Shepard, I never hide." the man stated.

 _What… the… f…_ Shepard's thoughts were interrupted by Tali and Garrus' own incredulousness.

"Really? _Really?_ " Tali asked.

"Not exactly how I saw this playing out." Garrus admitted.

The other Shepard jumped down from the balcony, and slowly walked over to the real Shepard. The real Shepard just looked wide-eyed upon himself, still coming to grasps with reality.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The other Shepard grinned, "You weren't the only Shepard Cerberus brought back to life."

"A clone?" Tali and Garrus asked in unison.

"That's right." the clone answered. "Except I wasn't created to fight the Collectors. I was created for spare parts."

He walked over to where Brooks was still lying down, and helped her to her feet.

"Well, 'Brooks', looks like the gig is up." the clone observed. Looking at Shepard, he continued, "Doesn't matter though, you're not coming out of here alive."

"Brooks" laughed, taking a few steps toward Team Shepard.

"So this is how the story of the great Commander Shepard and his team ends." she said in a taunting manner. "Pity, I actually started to like you…"

"Brooks" was interrupted by a gunshot, and a hole appeared in her head where her face used to be. Her lifeless body fell to the floor with a thud. Everyone turned to see the clone holding a smoking Carnifex.

"Well, that's one less loose end. The less people that know I'm not the real Commander Shepard, the better." he stated.

A sudden, strong feeling of uneasiness swept through the rest of the CAT6 mercs.

"And that's why none of you are making it out alive either." the clone added, motioning towards the rest of the ground team.

"No one would believe you're Shepard you _bosh'tet_ , you're just a cheap imitation of the real thing!" Tali yelled.

"And besides, _you're_ the one not getting out of here alive." Garrus countered. "You think a bunch of mercs will stop us?"

The clone chuckled, "Yeah, _Archangel_ , I do. You're nothing more than a burnt-out cop past his prime. And _you_ , Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I'm not sure whether to put a bullet in you, or just take off your visor and cough."

Shepard suddenly had an idea.

"Traynor! Initiate Normandy lockdown!" He ordered into the comms.

"Good idea, Shepard, except all your comms are blocked." the clone said. "Alright boys, we're done here. Kill them and head to the Normandy."

As the clone turned and walked further into the Archives. The CAT6 mercs rounded everyone up and brought them to the ground floor. The merc captain came forward, and began gloating about killing the great Commander Shepard. Shepard ignored him, and nodded to every member of the ground team. When everyone nodded back, Shepard turned to the merc captain.

"Oh, shut up." he said, and punched the captain in the throat.

As the captain clasped his hands around his throat and made a gagging sound, Shepard grabbed him. Using the captain as a human shield, he took the merc's sidearm and began shooting the rest of the mercs. This was another instance where the CAT6 mercs' inexperience was exploited. All the mercs were standing much too close to the ground team, so all the team members were easily able to wrestle their guns from them. After a few seconds, all the team members were armed again and firing at the rest of the mercs. A minute later, the coast was clear.

"Alright team, same plan. Team Mako and Hammerhead, take the second floor. My team, with me." Shepard ordered.

* * *

After fighting their way through the Archives and past countless CAT6 mercs, Shepard had finally caught up to his clone. Seeing the trio catching up to him, the clone began running. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus sprinted after him, only to be cut off by a blue containment field.

 _This day just keeps getting better and better_. Shepard thought.

The clone stopped and turned around, an evil grin on his face.

"I didn't think that would work." he admitted. "And Jesus, they weren't lying, you really are hard to kill."

"Kaidan? Liara? Is anyone on this frequency?" Shepard asked into the comms.

"Sorry, they can't hear you. These iridium vaults really mess with comms." the clone taunted. "And if what my men say is true, your people are in the same position as you."

"Fair warning, nobody who's messed with us has ever survived." Shepard warned.

"And yet they keep trying." Garrus added.

The clone chuckled and began walking away, "Thanks for the warning, but I'll take my chances. Now, I have a ship to command, so..." He turned back and looked Shepard right in the eye, "I should go."

With that, the vault slid back into place, among thousands of identical vaults.

"So… that went well." Tali said.

"He said, 'I should go'. Do I sound like that?" Shepard asked.

Garrus sighed, "Yeah… kinda."

Tali was anxiously looking for a control panel, or anything to let them out.

"Shouldn't we be worrying about the impregnable vault we've been sealed inside forever?" she asked, rhetorically.

Shepard's concerns were elsewhere, however.

He sounded almost hurt, "How come nobody told me this before. I'm open to feedback here."

"I'm not really one to talk." Garrus admitted. "I've been told that I say… 'calibrating'… more than a turian should."

"There's probably not much air in here, either." Tali pointed out. "For the three of us, maybe an hour, if we take shallow breaths."

"Maybe it's 'I should _go_ '. 'I _should_ go'. ' _I_ should go'." Shepard theorized.

Tali walked over to him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him.

"John, _please_! Why aren't you more worried about this?" she asked.

Shepard finally broke his train of thought, "Hmm? Oh, Glyph! You still out there?"

The always polite voice of Glyph came over the comms, "Yes, Commander. I'm just outside the vault."

"Good, unlock this damn thing and go find the others." Shepard ordered. "No one steals my ship. Not even me."

"Really, Shepard? 'Not even me'?" Garrus asked.

"Oh, shut up, Garrus." Tali said, punching him in the arm.

Shepard, Tali, and Garrus regrouped with the others. The ground team exited the Archives just as Joker arrived with a skycar. He set it down and opened the door.

"I've got room for Shepard plus two." Joker announced. "And make it fast, because the other Shepard is stealing my ship!"

Shepard picked his usual team, "Tali, Garrus, let's go!"

The three climbed into the skycar, and Shepard couldn't help but notice Liara and Kaidan pouting.

"What?" Shepard asked.

Liara sighed, "I was hoping to come."

"I know what you mean, I never get picked." Kaidan added.

"Joker will come back for you, I promise." Shepard promised.

* * *

The ride to the Normandy's docking bay was largely uneventful, save for some wisecracks from Garrus. As soon as Joker dropped them off, however, they were under fire. Nothing they couldn't handle, but it was slowing them down. Suddenly, Tali noticed the Normandy's engines starting up.

"John, the Normandy's engines are coming online. We need to hurry!" she warned.

Shepard was shocked, "When we want to take off, there's a half hour of pre-flight checks! They can just gun the engine and go?"

"Well… most of those checks are actually unnecessary." Tali admitted.

"Thanks for letting me know!" Shepard said.

The trio finally made it to the docking tube, and sprinted up to the airlock. There, they ran into a very pissed off Traynor.

"What? You were just on the Normandy!" she yelled. "You… you fired me! Dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming!"

Shepard put a hand on her shoulder, "Easy Traynor, that wasn't me. I'm the real Shepard."

Tali and Garrus brushed past Traynor and began trying to unlock the airlock.

"Well, someone just threw me off the ship! If that wasn't you, who was it?" Traynor demanded.

Garrus turned back to her, "Shepard's got a clone, makes sense if you think about it."

The lock on the airlock beeped and remained red.

" _Bosh'tet!_ " Tali yelled in frustration. "It's sealed!"

"Tali, you know this ship inside and out. Is there any other way for us to get on?" Shepard asked.

Tali thought for a second, "There is an emergency exit hatch for evacuations. It should be right...here!"

Tali pulled up a panel on the floor, revealing the emergency exit hatch. Shepard's hopes were restored, and he hugged Tali and spun her around.

"I love you, you wonderful woman!" he exclaimed.

Tali blushed furiously and hugged him tight, "I would never let you down."

Shepard and Tali heard someone clear their throat, and saw Garrus' head sticking out of the hatch.

"You two are the cutest couple, really. But now is _not_ the time." he said.

He disappeared into the hatch, and Shepard and Tali followed him inside. They sealed the hatch behind them just as the Normandy took off.

The trio crawled through the crawlspace underneath the deck plating in the bridge. They got the jump on the CAT6 mercs in the CIC, who weren't expecting Shepard to be alive. The clone managed to escape to the elevator and ride down to the cargo bay.

"Come on! He's probably trying to escape in a shuttle!" Shepard yelled over the sound of gunfire.

When they cleared out the mercs, Shepard called the elevator to the CIC. While he was waiting, he noticed his hamster cage in a full garbage can. Shepard looked inside and saw his hamster, Cheeks, happily munching on some food. There was a note attached to the cage as well.

"Please send this to an animal shelter for proper disposal as a warship is not an appropriate…" he read. "Oh, that is not okay!"

Tali noticed Cheeks' cage too, and came running over.

"Oh no! Please tell me he didn't hurt Cheeks!" she asked, her eyes tearing up at just the thought.

Tali had instantly fallen in love when she first laid eyes on Cheeks during their mission against the Collectors a year ago. According to her, he was "the most adorable thing she had ever seen", besides Shepard, of course. Shepard didn't have the heart to tell her that hamsters only lived for about three years, and didn't want to imagine how devastated she would be when Cheeks died.

"No no, he's fine." Shepard assured her. "It's just… now it's personal."

He put his face near the glass, and looked right at Cheeks.

"Alright, sit tight little guy. I'll be right back." he told the hamster.

Then it was Tali's turn to talk to him, "If anyone gives you any trouble, go for the eyes."

If anybody hurt Cheeks, Tali would kill them herself.

When the elevator doors opened in the cargo bay, Shepard spotted the clone. The shuttle was preparing to launch, and the clone was standing next to it. Luckily for Shepard, the shuttle was still being transported to the launching zone. But, the cargo bay doors were already open, if the clone got into the shuttle they wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Cover me! I'm going after him!" Shepard ordered, as he took off sprinting.

Tali and Garrus laid down suppressing fire on the last of the CAT6 mercs. Shepard was closing the distance fast, and tried to fire at the clone. Unfortunately, he was out of thermal clips. He tossed the gun to the side and kept running. The clone spotted him, and fired at him. The rounds glanced off Shepard's shield, and the clone only had time to get off a few shots.

Shepard tackled the clone over the railing, and the two tumbled down the open cargo bay door. They both caught themselves before they fell over the edge. Neither could pull themselves up, and were slowly slipping. Luckily for Shepard, a three-fingered hand reached out for him.

"John! Grab my hand!" Tali yelled.

Shepard gladly accepted, and Tali pulled Shepard back to safety. Garrus pointed his gun at the clone, and asked Shepard what they should do with him. Shepard did something no one expected, and offered his hand to the clone. He felt sorry for him, his only purpose in life had been for replacement parts for Shepard. Knowing your life was worthless, he knew it must've been a terrible existence.

"Here, take my hand." Shepard said.

The clone looked at Shepard questioningly, "And then?"

"And then you live." Shepard pleaded.

"For what?" the clone asked.

Knowing he was defeated, and not wanting to continue on living, the clone released his grip on the door. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus watched helplessly as the clone plummeted to his death.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'll admit right away, this is a shameless self-promotion. If you like "Unbreakable Bond", you should check out "Fast Times at Normandy High", my brand new fanfic! It's a re-imagining of the Mass Effect universe, set in a stereotypical midwestern American high school. I wrote the first chapter on a whim, after the idea popped into my head. I probably won't continue it for much longer unless it receives support, so if you check it out and like it, please review! In case you are wondering, I'll still be writing "Unbreakable Bond", and it will remain my top priority.**


	34. Chapter 34: Showdown

Shepard, Tali, and Garrus checked their weapons and gear, making sure everything was in order. They would pay dearly if anything was non-functional. Shepard glanced over the cover the three were crouched behind. They were in the middle of a street in a deserted city, with rubble cluttering the road. A most of the buildings were still standing, but they were mostly just empty shells. He scanned the area, but didn't see any movement. Make no mistake, the enemy was out there. Now it was just a matter of finding them.

"Garrus, set up a sniping position and hold there. Tali, you're with me." Shepard ordered, whispering. "Let's move out."

With that, everyone performed their assigned duties. Garrus entered the nearest still-standing building, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Extending his Black Widow, he set up a perch in the window facing the street. Garrus grinned, from this spot he had a clear view of the entire street for about five blocks. If anyone entered his view, they'd be dead before they heard his shot. Knowing the enemy would most likely be using shields, he loaded his rifle with disruptor ammo. Garrus peered down the scope, and waited for the enemy.

Shepard and Tali had followed Garrus into the building, but remained on the ground floor. As they waited for Garrus to get set up on the second floor, they both looked out a window, trying to spot the enemy. Again, there was no movement. Shepard theorized the enemy was doing the exact same thing they were doing, waiting for them to make a move.

"All clear, it's safe to cross the street." Garrus radioed in.

Shepard turned to Tali, "Alright, you go first and I'll cover you. When you get into the building, cover me when I follow."

Tali nodded and took a deep breath. She took off sprinting across the street, and practically dove through the doorway. She rolled behind a counter for cover. She popped up, shotgun in hand, ready to blow away any hostiles. There were none, the room was empty.

Shepard and Garrus had been watching the street ever since Tali ran across. There was still no sign of movement.

"All clear, Shepard. Your turn." Garrus radioed.

Just then, he saw the slightest hint of movement in a window three blocks down.

"Hold it. Movement, far side of the street." Garrus reported. "Ground floor window of the building three blocks down."

He focused on that window, and saw the familiar blue skin of an asari. As Garrus zoomed in on her, he recognized her face. It wasn't just any asari, it was Liara. Garrus had spotted her when she peered out a window, but she retreated back to cover before he could line up a shot.

"Shepard, I just spotted Liara in that window." he added. "If she's there, Kaidan and James are close."

"If you have a shot, take her out. That goes for Kaidan and James too." Shepard ordered.

He felt no remorse giving the order to kill his friends. They had picked their side, they were the enemy now.

Garrus focused in on the window he had spotted Liara in.

 _Come on, Liara, show yourself._ he thought.

As if she had heard him, once again Liara's face came into view. She was low enough to not be spotted from ground level, but not from a floor up. To Garrus, it looked as if she was trying to crawl to the next window. She never made it. With a quick pull of the trigger, Garrus' Black Widow sent a mass accelerated round hurtling towards Liara at over four times the speed of sound. True to his initial thoughts, she was dead before she heard the shot. Her head exploded into a shower of red mist, and her lifeless body crumpled to the floor.

"One less to worry about!" he announced over the radio.

Like Shepard, he had no regrets about killing a friend. After all, Liara chose the wrong side, she was the enemy now.

"You're clear, Shepard. Go!" Garrus radioed.

After Shepard had sprinted across the street, Garrus noticed movement again. This time, it was in a window of a building across the street, two blocks down. He saw the hulking figure of James diving for cover. Garrus fired a round into the wall, hoping the round might penetrate through and hit James. He didn't see any movement, so he figured the bullet had been stopped.

"Shepard and Tali, James is in the building two down from you. No sign of Kaidan, though." Garrus reported.

"Thanks Garrus, we're on it." Shepard radioed back.

For about thirty seconds, Garrus watched the window where he knew James was hiding underneath. There was no movement, until he saw a glint of light from the window. James had found a piece of glass, and was trying to find Garrus' position. If he found him, he would radio his location to Kaidan. Garrus quickly fired, and the glass shard shattered. For about another minute, he watched the window, waiting for James to make a mistake. He heard gunfire erupt, and assumed Shepard and Tali had made it to James' position.

Garrus was still worried, though. He hadn't seen any sign of Kaidan, and he knew for sure that he would be here.

 _Where is he?_ Garrus thought as he scanned the other buildings.

All of a sudden, Garrus heard a sound that made his heart stop. The sound of a boot stepping on broken glass, coming from the stairway behind him. His eyes widened as he spun around, just in time to see a grenade being thrown up the stairs and rolling towards him.

 _Spirits…_ he thought as the grenade exploded, violently tearing him apart.

While Garrus had been distracted with James, Kaidan had managed to sneak into the building he was sniping from. Though Kaidan was the second human Spectre, he knew better than to get into a gunfight with Garrus. So he had opted to dispatch him with a grenade instead.

Shepard heard the explosion, and turned back to see the corner of the building Garrus had been in completely gone. He correctly assumed that Kaidan had killed Garrus with a grenade.

"Tali, Garrus is down." he stated.

There was no emotion in his voice. They were in a firefight with James, there was no time for emotion.

"We need to finish this, Kaidan is probably coming up behind us." Shepard continued.

They had James pinned down, now it was time to finish him off. He was taking cover behind an overturned table. Though he was pinned down, James had been able to fight off any flanking attempts.

 _He's definitely N7 material_. Shepard thought.

But Shepard and Tali had a trick up their sleeves, one James had forgotten about. Shepard gave Tali the hand signal for her drone, and Chatika popped up behind James. He noticed, and quickly vaulted over the table to avoid an incoming rocket. He spun around, and found himself staring right down the barrel of Tali's shotgun. Before he could utter a word, Tali had blown a hole in his chest.

She turned around to face Shepard, only to see a singularity flying towards him. Tali pushed him out of the way, but was ensnared in it herself. She was suddenly weightless, and struggled to free herself. She spun upside down, and looked back to see Kaidan pointing his assault rifle at her. He fired a quick burst, and her lifeless body dropped to the floor.

Shepard pushed himself up, and quickly fired at Kaidan. Kaidan ducked behind cover, and returned fire. Shepard ducked back into cover, and heard Kaidan stop firing. Shepard took a gamble, hoping Kaidan had stopped firing in order to reload. He pulled out his Carnifex, stepped out of cover, and began sprinting over to Kaidan's position. If he was right, he would get the jump on Kaidan. If he was wrong, Kaidan would have no trouble killing Shepard. When he had covered half the distance, Shepard heard the sound of a thermal clip ejecting. He had been right. Just as Kaidan turned the corner to keep firing, Shepard knocked the assault rifle from his hands. He raised his Carnifex to fire, and Kaidan tried to move out of the way. He was a little too slow, and a round penetrated his armor and caught him in the shoulder. Kaidan managed to use his biotics to knock Shepard's pistol away, but the biotic throw had left him vulnerable. He paid dearly for it, as Shepard activated his omni-blade and thrust it deep inside Kaidan's chest. Shepard twisted the blade inside of him, and Kaidan coughed up blood. Shepard pulled the blade out of him, and Kaidan fell to the ground, dead.

"Team Shepard wins!" the announcer exclaimed over the speakers.

Shepard returned to the real world when the virtual reality pod he was in opened up. He stepped out, and everyone in Armax Arsenal Arena erupted in cheers. When people had heard that members of the Normandy where going head-to-head in the combat simulator, they flooded the arena. It seemed like everyone wanted to watch members of the most skilled fighting force in the galaxy face off against each other. Shepard saw that the others had already exited their pods, and went over to join his team.

He hugged Tali and Garrus, and the three shouted together, "Team Shepard!"

They shook hands and hugged the members of Team Kaidan. Everyone turned to wave at the cheering fans before exiting the combat zone.

As they walked off, Kaidan said, "You got lucky, Shepard! If Tali hadn't pushed you out of the way of my singularity, I would've gotten you easily."

Shepard smiled and put an arm around Tali, "That's why she's on my team, she always is looking out for everyone else."

"I gotta say, I almost pissed my pants when I looked up and saw Tali's shotgun pointed right at me!" James admitted.

Tali giggled, "Well, I couldn't let Chatika have all the fun."

Garrus added, "You want to talk about pissing your pants? I turned around just to see a grenade landing right at my feet."

"Well, at least you actually got to kill someone, I just became another name on Archangel's long list of kills." Liara pointed out.

Garrus patted Liara on the back, "Look on the bright side, now you can say that you've been killed by the galaxy's best sniper."

The six quickly grabbed some food from the concession stand and took their seats in the V.I.P. section of the arena. Joker, Cortez, and Traynor were already there, as they had watched the first match. The next match was starting soon, featuring Miranda, EDI, and Wrex facing off against Jack, Grunt, and Jacob. The winner of this match would move on to play Team Shepard in the championship in a few days. Shepard and Tali sat next to each other, Shepard putting an arm around her and Tali resting her head on his shoulder.

"So, who do you think will win?" Shepard asked, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Tali took a break from her sterilized food tube containing a turian-equivalent of a hotdog to answer.

"Definitely Team Miranda, Team Jack is too volatile." she predicted.

With Jack and Grunt on the same team, Shepard could understand her point.

Shepard bet against her, though, "I'm going with Team Jack, her biotics will overwhelm Team Miranda."

"Well, how about we make this interesting?" Tali suggested.

Shepard couldn't refuse, "You're on, Miss vas Normandy. How about this, the loser gives the winner a 30 minute full body massage?"

He knew how much Tali enjoyed getting massages from him, and he loved her massages as well. In the week since they had defeated Shepard's clone, Tali had fully adjusted to the apartment. Shepard had also bought a decontamination chamber for the entryway and a mobile decontamination unit for the rest of the apartment, so Tali didn't have to worry about readjusting to the apartment every time they had company over. Because she had acclimated, Tali was able to take her suit off whenever she wanted too, which made Shepard's massages even more enjoyable for her.

"Sounds good to me." Tali said in a playful tone.

The countdown for the match began, and the couple turned their attention to the arena. Six giant vid screens displayed each of the players' vision for the audience, along with a map showing the location of each player. Shepard resumed happily munching on his popcorn and drinking his soda, while Tali savored every bite of her turian hotdog and sipped her turian carbonated beverage.

It was a close match, but Tali had made the right prediction. EDI had quickly taken out Jacob, only to be literally ripped in half by Grunt. Wrex had killed Grunt with help from Miranda's biotics. Though Jack was the most powerful biotic of the group by far, she was simply outmatched. She had focused her attention of Wrex, and though she managed to kill him, she was left open to Miranda's gunfire. Team Miranda would battle Team Shepard in a few days, and tickets were already sold out for the championship. This was turning out to be the best night of shore leave so far. Team Shepard had won, the past and present Normandy ground team members were all hanging out, and Tali was going to get a 30 minute massage from Shepard.

* * *

Shepard and Tali arrived back at their apartment an hour later. After Team Miranda won, everyone had gone to a bar for drinks. After everyone had a few drinks, Jack had suggested they go to Purgatory. James, Joker, EDI, and Cortez had taken up her offer, but the rest decided to call it a night. After the decontamination cycle finished, Tali immediately led Shepard to the bedroom. She took off her suit, and laid down on the bed naked. For the next half hour, Tali directed Shepard as to where on her body to massage. He released the tension from her shoulders, back, feet, calves, and thighs. With about a minute left, Tali instructed Shepard to use his lips instead of his hands. For the next minute, he kissed her wherever she told him too. When her time was up, Shepard kept going. The passion quickly heated up from there, and it truly turned out to be the best night of shore leave so far.


	35. Chapter 35: Betrayal

**Author's Note:** **Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating in so long. Last week all my free time was taken up by studying for three midterms. After that I got hit with the flu, which knocked me out of commission for a few days. But I'm back now, with a brand new chapter of Unbreakable Bond!**

* * *

Tali perused the clothing rack, looking for something that was her style. She was clothes shopping again with Liara, this time looking for more than just fabric suit adornments. Their previous shopping excursion had been dramatically cut short by the news of the assassination attempt on Shepard, and Tali had only been able to purchase one item. Once Liara heard that Tali had adapted to her apartment, she insisted they go shopping again. She refused to even entertain Tali's rebuttal that she would be fine just taking off her visor and helmet in the apartment. Liara decided for Tali that she needed actual clothes. And being an asari, who had a well-earned reputation as the galaxy's premier fashionistas, she was just the person to help improve Tali's non-existent wardrobe.

However, that was proving to be more difficult than Liara previously thought. The biggest problem was that quarians hadn't worn real clothes in almost 300 years. Three centuries of exile, with only enviro-suits being worn, had killed quarian fashion. So Liara decided they would have to borrow from other races. Shirts were easy, quarian upper-bodies were almost identical to slim human women and asari. Tali ended up buying a few pairs of casual t-shirts and tank tops. Pants, however, were a problem. Quarians had bowed shins, so that eliminated any leg wear designed for humans and asari. Quarians also had legs much bigger than turians and salarians, even the biggest sizes were too tight for Tali.

To remedy this, Liara and Tali found themselves in a human clothing store. In the men's fleece sweatpant section. Height-wise, Tali's legs were as long as a normal human woman's. But with her bowed shins factored in, their length was more comparable to that of a tall human man. Since sweats were baggy, they would be able to conform to Tali's leg shape. And since she would only be able to wear them in the apartment with Shepard, they were an ideal choice. While it was slightly embarrassing to be shopping in a section designed for the opposite gender, it was the only option Liara and Tali could think of. Liara picked out three pairs of the longest sweatpants they could find, one red, one black, and one blue pair.

"Here, Tali, try these on." Liara suggested, handing the pants to Tali.

"Do they have any in purple?" Tali asked, not too thrilled about the colors.

Liara smirked, "Tali, they're human _men's_ sweats. When's the last time you saw Shepard wear anything purple?"

Shepard only dressed casual on shore leave, and hadn't worn anything purple. When not on shore leave, the only times Tali could remember Shepard wearing anything but Alliance Navy fatigues or his body armor was when he went to bed. Well, except for the one time in their cabin he stole her headscarf and pretended to be her. Tali smiled when she remembered how funny his impression was and how hard she laughed.

 _That's my bosh'tet_. she thought, using _bosh'tet_ in the most affectionate way possible.

Tali resolved to sometime put on a pair of his fatigues and just repeat 'I should go' over and over.

She suddenly remembered she had to reply to Liara, "Good point, these will do."

Tali went into the changing room, and slipped the black pair of sweats on over her suit. She wished she could feel their texture, but Liara had ensured her that fleece was very soft. They actually fit her legs pretty well, bowed shins and all.

 _Not bad, not bad at all_. Tali decided. _Huh, this wasn't such a bad idea after all._

Tali exited the dressing room after trying on all three pairs, and purchased all three. Tali had tried to argue for only buying one top and one pair of sweats to be frugal, but relented when Liara reminded her she would actually have to wash her clothes now. One outfit wouldn't go very far.

Realizing they were late for dinner, they arranged for Tali's new clothes to be delivered to her apartment. Miranda had organized a girls-night-out with Tali, Liara, Traynor, EDI (after some persuasion), and Jack (after _a lot_ of persuasion). Chakwas and Samara had respectfully declined the invitation. First they would have dinner, then it was off to Purgatory for dancing and drinks. Catching a cab, Tali and Liara met up with the other four at DiMaggio's, one of the finest and most recommended restaurants on the Citadel. Somehow, Miranda managed to get them a reservation, despite DiMaggio's being completely booked for weeks. Tali could immediately see why. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, fine tablecloths with candles were on every table, and a string quartet was playing soft, relaxing music.

"Welcome to DiMaggio's, ladies. Please, follow me to your table." the polite turian host said.

Tali was surprised the host hadn't given her any trouble, considering how most turians viewed quarians.

 _With a place as expensive as this, they probably don't care who you are as long as you pay the bill._ Tali guessed.

The six were seated, and the host distributed menus. In a few minutes, their waiter, a handsome human man probably in his mid-twenties, came by to take their orders.

"Good evening, ladies. My name is Michael, I'll be your server tonight." He greeted with a smile. "Have you all decided what you'll be having? Everything on the menu comes in both levo and dextro."

"Yeah, I'll have you in bed with me tonight." Jack answered, shamelessly.

"Jack!" Miranda scolded, even though she secretly had been thinking the same thing.

Michael, however, laughed and took it as a compliment, "I'm flattered ma'am, but I'm happily engaged."

That didn't stop Jack from giving him a seductive wink.

"Order whatever you want, everyone. I'm buying." Miranda offered.

Tali was glad Miranda was paying, considering just how expensive everything was. For drinks, the women ordered various kinds of wine. Then, Michael went around and took everyone's dinner orders.

"And for you, ma'am?" he asked Tali when he got to her.

"Do you have a sterilizer?" she asked.

Michael nodded, "Of course, ma'am. We have top-of-the-line sterilizers for our quarian and volus guests."

"Perfect, I'll have the dextro chicken par…mee…shaun." Tali ordered, butchering the Italian word.

Their waiter smiled, knowing what she meant, "Excellent choice, ma'am."

He then finished getting everyone's orders, and left to give them to the kitchen. Tali was pleasantly surprised at how friendly Michael was to her. Granted, humans were much less prejudiced towards quarians than the other races were, but she still didn't expect to be treated so nicely.

After an excellent dinner, the six headed to Purgatory. Jack immediately made a beeline for the bar, and the other five went to the dance floor. EDI was there mostly to observe human social interactions, but had downloaded dancing software that allowed her to blend in as much as possible. The women did a few rounds of shots (more than a few in Jack's case), and danced into the night. The rest of the night went off without a hitch, save for Jack almost getting thrown out for dancing on the bar. Throughout the course of the night Liara and Miranda had to fend off a few men, and one woman, who were dancing way too close to them for comfort. Liara, unfortunately, stated she wasn't feeling well and left before the rest did. Tali understood, Liara had almost drank as much as Jack, which was an egregious amount. Tali had a great time, no one tried to cut in and dance with her. She wondered what type of night Shepard had.

* * *

Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan jumped up off the couch, cheering and high fived each other. James, Cortez, and Jacob tried their best not to look worried. They were watching the goodwill biotiball game, the Seattle Sorcerers were playing the Usaru Maestros. Biotiball was very similar to human basketball, except the players used biotics to dribble, pass, and shoot. Shepard and Kaidan were rooting for the Sorcerers because they were the human team, but Garrus just hated the Maestros. Cortez and Jacob were rooting for the Maestros because they were arguably the best team in the league, but James just liked them because they were asari. Joker was with James, but was too busy ogling the asari players to actually pay attention to the game. Derek Rogers had just hit a three-point shot right before the halftime buzzer to give the Sorcerers the lead. There was money riding on the outcome of the game, so everyone was pulling extra hard for their team to win.

Since the women of the Normandy had decided to have a girls-night-out, the men decided to have a boys-night-in. They were in Shepard and Tali's apartment, and were doing what men loved to do, watching sports on a huge vid screen. They had ordered a massive amount of food to be delivered, and had made a sizeable dent. Six half-full pizza boxes, 10 half-full baskets of chicken wings smothered in various sauces, numerous beer bottles, and a plate of whatever weird-looking turian food Garrus was eating covered the coffee table in front of the couches.

"Alright, does anyone want anymore of the _diablo_ wings?" James asked, picking up the basket which contained four incredibly spicy wings.

Everyone shook their head, and Cortez replied, "They're all yours, James. Just the smell makes me sick to my stomach."

"Oh come on, Esteban. You and everyone else are just a bunch of _chicas_." he sarcastically berated. He turned to face Joker, "Joker, you liked them, right?"

Everyone laughed when they remembered Joker's reaction when he unknowingly ate one of the _diablo_ wings. James had snuck one in with the rest of his mild wings, and Joker ate the whole thing in one bite. The sight of their pilot flailing his arms around, tongue hanging out of his mouth, and eyes watering like mad was downright hilarious.

The men watched most of the third quarter, but stopped paying attention to the game when the fourth quarter started. Alcohol was having the effect it usually did on men, pumping up confidence and bravado. The night devolved into arm wrestling, actual wrestling, push-up contests, sit-up contests, and other physical challenges. Kaidan and Jacob almost had a biotic challenge, but Shepard intervened before any property damage occurred.

 _Tali will kill me if I let anyone break anything in the apartment_. he correctly surmised.

The Sorcerers ended up winning the game, so James, Cortez, and Jacob paid Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan their winnings. Everyone offered to help cleanup, but Shepard insisted he would do it himself. Everyone made their way out, and Shepard surveyed the scene. The leftover pizza slices and wings managed to fit in one box.

 _Looks like I'll be eating good for lunch tomorrow_. he thought.

Just when Shepard had finished cleaning up, he heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey Glyph, could you see who that is?" he asked the ever-polite VI. "If it's someone from the Normandy, just let them in." _Probably one of the guys forgot something_.

"Of course, Commander." Glyph answered, and promptly floated away towards the door.

 _I really should thank Liara for loaning it to me. I wonder if Tali can program Chatika to be the same way._ Shepard wondered.

He finished placing the last couch cushion back in place when the door opened. It was definitely someone from the Normandy, but not who Shepard was expecting. He turned around to see an asari, wearing a skin-tight and semi-revealing dress.

"Liara? What are you doing here?" Shepard asked. Realizing how that might have sounded, he added, "I'm sorry if that sounded rude, I just wasn't expecting you."

"It's quite alright Shepard, I took no offense by it." Liara replied. "And Tali invited me over."

That part was a lie. Tali thought Liara was back in her hotel room, feeling sick.

"Oh, well make yourself at home, then." Shepard responded. "Where is Tali, by the way? Did she not come back with you?"

"She said she had to pick up something at a store, something for her suit." Liara answered.

Another lie. Liara didn't know where Tali was, she assumed she was still at Purgatory.

Shepard thought it was odd that Tali would invite Liara over to their apartment, but then leave and pick up some parts for her suit first. However, he didn't think enough of it to ask about it. He took a seat on the couch which faced away from the window and motioned for Liara to take a seat on the other couch. By the way she stumbled inside the apartment, he could tell she was very drunk. Liara surprised him and took a seat on the same couch as him, just outside of his personal space.

"So… how was girls-night-out?" Shepard asked, trying to remove some awkwardness from the scene.

"It was fun, even though some perverts tried to dance way too close to Miranda and me." Liara answered. "Don't worry, no one did the same to Tali."

Shepard chuckled, "Good, I'd hate to have ruined the evening by beating someone's ass."

Liara smiled slightly, "I hope Tali knows how lucky she is. She bonded to probably the best man in the galaxy."

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck nervously, not liking the tone Liara had used. It sounded almost flirtatious. He hoped it was nothing. It wasn't. Liara slid over close to Shepard, adjusting her dress so it showed more of her bust. Her breath reeked of alcohol. Shepard tried to scoot further away, but he was already up against the armrest.

"Uh… Liara… you're a little close." he said, trying to politely let her know he didn't approve.

She ignored him, and instead began tracing a finger along his chest. Shepard was extremely uncomfortable, and wanted to push Liara off of him. He hoped he wouldn't have to, that she would realize what she was doing was wrong.

"Why did you pick her, Shepard?" Liara asked. "I thought we had something special."

Shepard remembered back to the night before Ilos, when he had slept with Liara. It was something he regretted the day after, and even more so after he realized his feelings for Tali. It was a purely physical attraction, and he slept with Liara to relieve stress and nerves from the upcoming mission. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he had somehow betrayed Tali, and it ate him up inside.

"Liara, what happened before Ilos wasn't out of love. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the truth." he responded. "I _love_ Tali, with _all_ my heart and soul. And nothing will ever change that."

That was the truth. As much as he cared for Liara, it paled in comparison to his love for Tali. That didn't stop Liara, though.

"Come on, Shepard, just one more time." she proposed. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "And Tali will never know."

That sent Shepard over the edge.

"Leave, _now_." he demanded, in a menacing tone. "I wasn't going to tell Tali about this before, but she needs to know now."

Shepard tried to get up to usher Liara out of the apartment, but she grabbed him and pulled him back down to the couch. She moved to his lap, and straddled him.

Normally, Liara wouldn't have ever considered doing something like this. However, a combination of unfortunate circumstances led her to this. The first was how Shepard had reacted to seeing her on Illium a year ago. It hadn't been a reuniting of lovers like Liara had hoped. By that point in time, Tali was the only woman Shepard wanted. Liara still harbored strong feelings for him, and was crushed. Those feelings had only diminished slightly over the following year. The second was the fall of Thessia. Liara had been so upset in the weeks following their mission on Thessia, and felt so alone. She needed someone to comfort her, to hold her tight, to love her. She wanted that person to be Shepard, but she knew he wouldn't because he was bonded to Tali. The third was she was incredibly drunk. The alcohol had torn down any inhibitions she had. It also made her forget about the respect she had for both Shepard and Tali that normally prevented her from acting on her feelings.

"Liara!" Shepard yelled, furious with the asari. "What are you..."

He was interrupted by Liara's lips on his. It was a kiss where the passion and desire only went one way. It was also an awkward one, because Shepard's lips closed as soon as he felt her's. The kiss lasted a few seconds, only because Shepard's brain simply couldn't comprehend what was happening. Once his brain caught up, he forcefully pushed Liara off of him. Shepard heard a gasp and something fall to the floor. He turned to the doorway, and saw what looked like a model ship box on the floor. What he also saw tore his heart in two. Tali was standing there, her hands over her vocalizer, in utter shock.


	36. Chapter 36: Fallout

**Author's Note: Just a quick note on cliffhangers. I believe that while cliffhangers are a good tool for shocking the audience, overusing cliffhangers causes them to lose their effect. So, for those of you who liked last chapter's cliffhanger, I will be using a few more in the future. If any of you didn't like it, rest assured that cliffhangers will not become a regular occurrence. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Tali walked through the doorway to Tiberius Towers, and cheerfully greeted the receptionist as she entered the elevator. After the elevator closed, she moved the box she was carrying out from under her arm, holding it in front of her so she could look at it. It was a limited edition model of a turian dreadnought, which Tali had bought for Shepard on her way home from Purgatory.

 _I hope he likes it._ she thought, staring down at the present. _He loves model ships, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have this one yet._

The couple had spent countless hours building model ships during the Collector mission, and again after the retaking of Rannoch. Tali especially enjoyed building the models of a quarian liveship and cruiser. It was an activity they did together, and she never took for granted the time they spent together. Tali knew the pain of losing him, and made sure to cherish each moment she had with him. The elevator doors opened, and she walked down the hallway to their apartment. Tali happily hummed a tune to herself as she punched in the keycode on the door. As the door opened, she thought about calling out to Shepard and letting him know she was home. Tali instead decided to surprise him with her gift for him.

When she entered the apartment, what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks. Her mind went blank, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Tali wanted it to just be a nightmare, one that she would soon wake up from. She knew that was not the case, however. On the couch in the far side of the living room, Liara was straddling a sitting Shepard. And they were kissing.

 _No…_ Tali thought, in disbelief.

She let out a gasp and brought her hands to her vocalizer, stunned by the betrayal she saw happening right in front of her. The model turian dreadnought box fell to the ground. Shepard pushed Liara off of him, then heard the gasp by the doorway. He turned and saw his bondmate staring back at the two, in utter shock. Shepard quickly stood up off the couch.

"Tali, I know what this looks like." he said, slowly moving toward her.

Quarians had evolved to become almost exclusively monogamous. Combine the way their immune systems could only adapt intimately to one person and the feeling of two souls becoming one, quarians could only have and would only want one mate. Once bonded, a quarian only had desire for their mate, and even found only their mate attractive. All of these forces lead to quarians becoming fanatically protective of their mates. Losing one's mate also meant losing the possibility of ever having a mate again. Quarians were also extremely territorial with their mates. They physically couldn't, and psychologically and spiritually wouldn't, share their mates.

Shepard knew all of this. Tali had told him about the biological, spiritual, and psychological aspects of bonding. In fact, he felt the spiritual and psychological aspects too. Shepard had seen the territorial behavior on display at the Silver Coast Casino when Tali almost got into a fight with the drunken asari who was dancing way too close to him. He thought he had seen the territorial behavior at it's full extent, and had no idea that Tali's reaction back then had been relatively tame. Back on the Migrant Fleet, both male and female quarians had severely injured, and in rare cases even killed, those who had committed infidelity with their mates.

Short of killing or physically injuring Shepard, Liara had done the worst possible thing she could've done with him. And Tali had seen it. Shepard was slowly closing the distance between Tali and himself, his hand outstretched in a defensive posture.

"Tali, it's _not_ what you think." he softly repeated over and over.

Tali looked like she couldn't hear him, her eyes focused solely on Liara. If looks could kill, the walls would've been painted with purple asari blood. Shepard had thought back at Silver Coast that if he hadn't intervened, Tali might've attacked the asari. And she had only danced too close to him. He knew this would be _much_ worse.

"Liara, stay _behind_ me and follow. We need to get you out of here." Shepard ordered in a harsh, commanding tone.

He was still furious with her, and a small part of him just wanted to step aside and let Tali do whatever she wanted to do. However, Shepard knew Liara was drunk, and physical violence would just make the situation worse.

Shepard continued trying to talk Tali down, but could tell it wasn't working. She slowly brought her hands down from her vocalizer, and closed them into fists. Her legs shifted into a ready stance, and a terrifying growl came from deep inside her. In the course of five seconds, Tali had gone from shocked to combat ready.

"Tali, _don't_." Shepard ordered, trying to use the same commanding tone he did when on the battlefield.

His words had no effect, Tali continued to glare menacingly at Liara. To her, Liara had stolen her mate, the only one she could ever have in life now that she had bonded to him. Rage burned like an inferno deep inside of Tali. She did what her instincts told her to do, attack.

Tali crouched down and launched herself at Liara. Luckily, for the asari, she had followed Shepard's orders. Tali jumped right into Shepard instead. Though he was ready, the force of her slamming into him still forced him off-balance. As he fell backwards, he wrapped his arms around Tali's waist and interlocked his fingers in a vice grip. Shepard knew his upper body was much stronger than Tali's, but knew he couldn't hold her back if her feet got a grip. He was no match for her powerful legs. Shepard landed hard on his back, but was able to roll over and use his weight to pin Tali to the ground. He looked up to see Liara staring at them in disbelief.

"Go! _Now_!" Shepard yelled at her.

If she was gone, hopefully Tali would calm down. Liara raced out of the apartment, wanting to put as much distance between her and Tali.

Seeing that Liara was gone, Shepard removed Tali's visor and began gently stroking her cheek. Her face was red with anger, and tears were streaking down her face.

He repeatedly whispered, "Shh, it's okay. She's gone." over and over, hoping to calm her down.

Tali did calm down, but her emotions switched from rage to pain and grief. Pain because Shepard had cheated on her, grief because she had lost him. Shepard stood up, and helped Tali to her feet as well.

Shepard apologized, "I'm sorry I had to do that, I didn't want you to hurt…"

A three-fingered slap connected squarely with his left cheek.

"How could you do this to me? You _bosh'tet_!" Tali screamed at him. "You _lied_ to me! You said you loved me, were going to build a house for me on Rannoch. We were going to have a _family_!"

She barely was able to get out a full sentence between the sobs that wracked her body.

" _Saera_ , I didn't lie. Everything I told you was the _truth_." Shepard replied calmly, not wanting to escalate the situation any further.

"The truth? The _truth?_ Then why were you kissing Liara?" she demanded, her voice still at the same volume as before. "Is that how you show your love? By cheating on me with our friend?"

Shepard tried to move closer to her, only to be slapped for a second time.

"Tali, I did not kiss Liara. She kissed _me_ , then I pushed her off me." he tried to explain.

" _Liar_! I saw the _whole_ thing! You only pushed her off because you heard me gasp!" Tali shouted, the raw pain in her voice crippling Shepard. "Oh Ancestors, what did I do to deserve this? How could you throw away our bond, John? Was all of my heart and soul not enough for you?"

Tali's last sentence was like a knife being thrust into his heart. Her love had been, was, and always would be enough for him. And she thought he threw it all away. Tears began to well in Shepard's eyes, as he realized that he might've lost Tali.

"Tali, your love will _always_ be enough for me." he tried to assure her. "Please, calm down, and we can…"

" _Calm down_? You _cheat_ on me and expect _me_ to calm down?" Tali asked, still roaring.

"I didn't cheat on you! Liara kissed me, that's it!" Shepard yelled back.

He instantly regretted raising his voice, from Tali's point of view he had cheated on her.

Shepard had to find someway to prove this was all Liara's doing. However, his outburst had angered Tali even more. She stomped over to him and began hitting him wherever she could, just trying to take all of her rage out on him. Shepard grabbed her wrists as gently as he could while still stopping her from hitting him. He jumped back a few feet, and quickly backed away from her.

Shepard tried to apologize, "Tali, I'm sorry I yelled. Just… please listen to…"

He was interrupted by having to dodge a datapad thrown at his head.

" _Get out!"_ Tali yelled at him. " _Just get out!"_

Shepard decided he couldn't do anything more right now, Tali just needed to calm down on her own. He quickly opened the door, but stopped as he was halfway through. He turned back to his beautiful quarian bondmate, wanting to say whatever it took to make her stay with him.

"Tali, I'm sorry." was all he could manage before closing the door and leaving.

Shepard leaned back against the closed door, and slowly slid down until he sat on the ground. He buried his head between his knees, and cried. His cries were a mixture of anger and fear. Anger because Liara had been the cause of all this, and fear that he might've just lost Tali. Shepard sobbed for 15 minutes straight, praying to God that Tali would open the door and at least let him explain what happened. He also prayed that Tali wouldn't leave him, as she was the best thing in his life, and one of only a few good things he had right now. After that, Shepard decided he couldn't just sit out in the hallway anymore. He stood up and punched in the keycode for the door. It beeped at him and flashed red. Shepard tried it again, with the same result.

 _Oh God, she change the code…_ he realized.

Thinking this was his last chance to save their bond, he started pounding on the door.

"Tali, I _love_ you! Please… let me in!" Shepard begged over and over.

He continued until his fists were numb and his voice was hoarse. Shepard then tried calling her on his omnitool and messaging her. After 20 unanswered calls and 15 unopened messages, he stopped trying. Realizing she wasn't going to let him in, Shepard placed his forehead against the door.

He whispered, "I'm sorry, _saera_."

Shepard slowly turned away from the door, and somberly walked away from the apartment.

* * *

Tali hadn't heard Shepard yelling or pounding on the door. She also hadn't heard his calls or knew about the messages. That's because Tali was curled up in the couple's bed, sobbing uncontrollably into Shepard's pillow, hugging it tightly. She also had her audio inputs muted, and her omnitool turned off. She wanted no contact with the outside world, she just wanted to grieve. Tali's old nemesis, her own self-doubt, had returned. Her confidence had never been a problem for over a year and a half. Ever since the night in Shepard's cabin when he had confirmed his feelings for her. However, in the face of betrayal, her personal demons had come back.

 _See! He doesn't love you, he never loved you!_ her inner demon stated.

Tali had no response to her inner self.

 _You should've known he wouldn't have wanted a quarian, of course he cheated on you with Liara! She's an asari! She's more beautiful than you, she can kiss him whenever and wherever, and she can give him children!_

Tali was starting to believe her self-doubt, and that only made the sobs worse. She had fooled herself into believing that Shepard shared the same burning love for her that she had for him. And now she was paying the price for her mistake. The thing was, Tali was still madly in love with Shepard. She hadn't been lying when she said nothing he could do would ever make her not love him. Quarian bonds were so absolute and final, that they even withstood betrayal at the hands of a bondmate. Her very soul was now incomplete without his, and she believed Shepard's soul would no longer want hers. She grieved because she believed he no longer loved her, and because she would still remain bonded to a man who didn't love her. He wasn't quarian after all, so she believed he couldn't bond as fully as one.

 _This is all your fault! Now you have to live the rest of your life with the consequences of your foolish choices! You probably drove him away! If it wasn't your suit, it was something you did!_

Tali began frantically searching for something she could've done to drive him to cheating on her. She couldn't remember anything, all she could remember was that she had always loved him and acted based on that love. She finally accepted that he either had never loved her, or simply didn't love her anymore. This acceptance did nothing to help soothe her sobbing, which was just as strong as when she started. She had already lost Shepard once, and now she had lost him again.

 _Why, John?_ she asked silently. _I love you, and I thought you loved me too. Why did you do this?_


	37. Chapter 37: Healing Wounds

Tali wasn't sure how long she had cried for. She didn't care either, it felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. Tali didn't understand why Shepard had betrayed her. She thought everything had been going perfectly in their relationship.

 _We were going to have a bonding ceremony, and he was going to build me a house on Rannoch. We were going to adopt children and start a family._ Tali reminisced.

She broke down again, realizing her dreams were over. When Tali had settled down again, she felt like she needed to talk to someone. In these situations, she would normally talk to Shepard. That wasn't going to happen, considering he was half the source of her problem. When he wasn't available, Tali would call her Auntie Raan. That couldn't happen for two reasons; first was Shala wasn't even aware of Tali's relationship with Shepard, second was Tali didn't want a lecture about why bonding to a human had been a bad idea. When Tali had needed womanly advice and Auntie Raan wasn't available, she had gone to Liara. That obviously wasn't going to happen, considering she was the other half or her problems.

The next person Tali thought of was Garrus. Though Garrus was a close friend, she never saw him as someone she could go to for advice. He normally filled that role for Shepard. Tali saw no other option, however, and tapped Garrus' contact on her omnitool. It rang a few times before Garrus' face popped up.

"Tali! How's it going?" Garrus cheerfully greeted. "What can I do for you?"

Tali didn't immediately respond, still trying to catch her breath from crying so hard. She was glad Garrus couldn't see her face, tears covered her face and her eyes were probably puffy from crying so hard for so long.

"Garrus…" Tali managed to choke out.

Garrus demeanor instantly changed from happy friend to concerned cop. He could tell by Tali's voice that she had been crying, and something was definitely not right. The worst case scenarios instantly ran through his mind.

"Tali, what's wrong?" Garrus asked, almost frantically. "Where's Shepard? Are you two alright?"

"John… he… cheated on me." she revealed slowly, feeling ashamed to admit it.

Garrus didn't initially appear shocked, he was still in cop-mode.

 _Okay, Shepard and Tali are both alive. And it appears they aren't in danger._ he observed.

His initial fears abated, Garrus then realized the severity of what Tali had told him.

 _Spirits, Shepard. What did you do?_ he wondered.

Garrus switched from cop-mode to friend-mode.

"Ok, Tali, are you in your apartment?" he asked. When she nodded, he added, "Okay, I'll be right over. Tali, _stay there_."

During his time in C-Sec, Garrus had seen people do crazy things after being cheated on. He only hoped Tali hadn't, or wouldn't, do anything rash. After she nodded again, Garrus hung up. He practically sprinted out of his hotel, and flagged down the first taxi he saw.

"Tiberius Towers, double-time it." Garrus ordered the taxi driver.

The driver did just that, and Garrus was at the apartment building in record time. He ran to the elevator, and tapped his foot the entire way up, willing it to go faster. When the doors opened, Garrus ran to the apartment.

He rang the doorbell, and spoke into the intercom, "Tali, it's Garrus."

The door opened, revealing a quarian with her hands at her sides, her head looking down at the floor. Just by her body language, Garrus could tell she was fatigued, as if she'd been crying for a long time. He walked over and gave Tali a compassionate hug, which she returned. Garrus led her to one of the living room couches, and he took seat on the other.

He paused before speaking, "Ok, Tali, tell me what happened."

Tali took deep, shaky sigh, mentally composing herself before beginning.

"I walked in the front door, and John was sitting on the couch. And Liara was… straddling him… kissing him." she told softly, her eyes staring at her lap.

Her fingers were intertwined, dancing nervously together.

 _Damnit, Liara! What the hell is wrong with you and Shepard?_ Garrus cursed internally, though his face remained stoic.

"When I saw them, I gasped and dropped that model ship box over there. I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing." Tali continued, having to stop a few times to cry. "John pushed Liara off of him, he said 'I know what this looks like'. I knew damn well what it looked like, like my soon-to-be lifemate was kissing our friend!"

Garrus saw a distinct lack of blood or broken objects in the apartment, so he determined Tali's reaction couldn't have been too violent.

"So, what did you do next?" he asked.

Tali paused before answering, "I… I lunged for Liara. I wanted to rip her head off."

"I know why you would feel that way." Garrus replied.

She shot him a nasty look.

"Do you? Do you _really?_ You know what it's like to see your bondmate, the only one you will ever have, kissing someone else?" Tali asked, furious. "John is the _only_ one my body will ever adapt to, the _only_ one my soul will ever want! _Keelah_ , I love him so much, and he doesn't love me back!"

Tali broke down and started sobbing. Garrus immediately moved over to her, and gave her a comforting hug.

"He was my everything, the most important person in the galaxy to me. And he threw it all away, I'm _nothing_ to him!" Tali squeezed out in between sobs. "Now I'll spend the rest of my life loving someone who doesn't love me back! Why, Ancestors, what did I do to deserve this?"

Garrus just held her until she stopped crying again.

"How could he do this to me? Why doesn't he love me, Garrus?" she asked quietly. "I gave him _everything_ I had, my heart and soul. And it wasn't enough for him."

"Tali, if there's one thing I know, it's that Shepard _loves_ you. Everyone on the Normandy knows it." Garrus replied. "Now, tell me what happened next."

"When I lunged for Liara, I didn't know that John was between her and me. I hit him full speed, and he wrapped me up in his arms as he fell backwards." Tali answered. "He pinned me down, but he didn't hurt me at all. I think he knew what I would do if I got to Liara."

Garrus commented, "It sounds like he was not only protecting her, but protecting you as well. He didn't want you to hurt her."

Tali just nodded.

"After she had left, he got off me and helped me up. I just slapped him, and started screaming at him." she recounted. " _Keelah_ , Garrus, I was so mad at him. He tried to explain himself, but I don't even remember what he said."

"You had every right to be mad at him." he stated.

"I just kept yelling at him, when he tried to come closer I started hitting him." Tali added. "I told him to just leave, which he reluctantly did. He hesitated, tried to apologize, so I threw that datapad over there at him."

Garrus almost chuckled at the mental image of Shepard dodging an incoming datapad. But he realized this was no time to laugh, so he held it in.

"So, you didn't get a chance to hear his side of the story?" Garrus asked.

Tali just shook her head.

"Tali, I know you probably don't want to hear this. But, Shepard loves you more than I've seen anyone love someone." Garrus stated. "Have you considered that maybe this was Liara's idea? You did say he pushed her off of him."

Tali sighed, "I want to believe that, Garrus, I really do. But he only pushed Liara off of him _after_ he heard me gasp and drop the box."

Just then, Glyph hovered over to the two of them.

"Miss Zorah? I have information that I think may be relevant to your situation." it stated, what sounded like concern in it's voice.

"What is it, Glyph?" Tali asked, half-annoyed.

Glyph answered, "I have a recording of the event in question. I record everything to help Dr. T'Soni with her Shadow Broker responsibilities."

The recording started, a hologram of the entire living room was projected on the coffee table. Tali and Garrus saw Liara enter the apartment.

 _"Liara? What are you doing here?" Shepard asked._

 _Liara answered, "Tali invited me over."_

"What? I didn't invite her over!" Tali stated, incredulously.

Garrus shushed her, wanting to hear the rest of the recording. The recording continued, showing Liara lying about Tali's whereabouts. It also showed her sitting on the same couch as Shepard, after he had motioned for her to sit on the other. When Liara scooted over to Shepard, anger began to swell inside Tali.

 _"Uh… Liara… you're a little close." he said, trying to politely let her know he didn't approve._

 _So he didn't plan beforehand to cheat on me._ Tali observed.

 _"Why did you pick her, Shepard?" Liara asked. "I thought we had something special."_

 _"Liara, what happened before Ilos wasn't out of love. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the truth." he responded. "I love Tali, with all my heart and soul. And nothing will ever change that."_

Tali wasn't sure what Shepard had meant when he referred to Ilos, that was over three years ago. But, after hearing what he said about her, she began to have hope that what happened wasn't Shepard's fault.

" _Come on, Shepard, just one more time." she proposed. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "And Tali will never know."_

 _"_ _Leave, now." he demanded, in a menacing tone. "I wasn't going to tell Tali about this before, but she needs to know now."_

After hearing that, the hope inside Tali grew. Not only had he denied Liara's request, but he was going to tell Tali about it. The hope grew further when Tali saw Shepard try to get up, but get pulled back down by Liara. The anger inside her flared when she saw Liara straddle Shepard.

 _"Liara!" Shepard yelled, furious with the asari. "What are you..."_

Both Tali and Garrus saw that it was Liara who kissed Shepard. It only lasted a few seconds. But, what came next was even more important. They both saw Shepard push Liara off of him _before_ , not after, Tali gasped and dropped the box. In her shock, Tali had remembered what happened incorrectly.

 _Keelah, John pushed Liara off before I reacted._ she noticed.

Tali turned to Garrus, "Garrus, he didn't cheat on me!"

She was elated to find out Shepard had played no part in what happened. He was innocent. Tali hugged Garrus, who reciprocated.

"I had a feeling he was innocent. It was too out-of-character for him." he admitted.

The two turned back to the recording just in time to see Tali lung for Liara. They watched in silence as Shepard pinned Tali to the ground, and Liara ran out of the apartment. Tears welled in Tali's eyes as she watched herself slap him, and yell at him when he tried to explain what happened. She winced as she saw herself start hitting Shepard, and throw a datapad at him. A tear fell down her cheek as she watched Shepard apologize and leave the apartment. He had only raised his voice once, and immediately apologized afterward. Shepard also never hit her back once, even after the barrage Tali subjected him to.

"I also managed to acquire this security camera footage." Glyph stated.

The recording switched to the hallway just outside the apartment. Tears fell when Tali saw what Shepard had done after she changed the keycode.

 _He started pounding on the door. "Tali, I love you! Please… let me in!" Shepard begged over and over._

She began sobbing as she watched him endlessly pound on the door.

"Glyph, turn it off." Garrus ordered.

Glyph promptly obeyed.

Tali felt horrible, it wasn't Shepard's fault at all. But she had screamed at him, hit him repeatedly, and kicked him out of the apartment.

When Tali calmed down, she asked, "Glyph, where's John now?"

"Based on his omnitool data, the Commander appears to be in the Silver Coast Casino. On the second floor, at the bar, to be precise." the drone answered.

She looked at Garrus, "I have to go. He needs to know I know it wasn't his fault."

"You're right. I'll go there with you, but you should go in alone." Garrus responded.

Tali hugged the drone, "Thanks for everything, Glyph."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Zorah. Have a pleasant evening." Glyph responded.

Tali and Garrus rushed out of Tiberius Towers, and sprinted towards Silver Coast.

* * *

Shepard sat at the bar in the Silver Coast Casino, eyeing a full glass of Jack Daniel's. It was the same glass he had ordered hours ago when he first got there, and hadn't touched it. Most of his time had been spent with his head on his arms on the bar counter, silently crying. Shepard felt like his entire world had come crashing down. He thought Tali believed it was all his fault. Shepard doubted she would take him back. Even if Tali did, he knew their relationship would never be the same. Tali would always look Shepard as unfaithful, always be concerned that he would cheat on her again. And there was nothing he could do to change that. Shepard was also furious with Liara. Her own inability to control her drinking, and therefore, her actions, had caused all this mess. There was going to be hell to pay when Shepard saw Liara again.

His thoughts were interrupted by a human woman sitting down next to him at the bar. She would've been considered very attractive by any human man's standards. She was fit, she had a pretty face, and long, brown hair. She also was wearing a revealing dress that accentuated her hourglass figure. Shepard glanced over at her. He didn't find her attractive, the only woman he had any interest in anymore was Tali. And that was the way Shepard wanted it. He wasn't aware of it, but his bond to Tali was the reason for that.

"Commander Shepard?" The woman asked. "Isn't this a wonderful surprise! Mind if I sit here?"

Shepard didn't respond.

Brushing off his reaction, she continued, "I'm also surprised to see you here alone. Rumor has it you're dating a quarian woman."

Shepard turned sharply to her.

"I _am_. And she has a name, by the way, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. We're actually engaged in her culture." he responded harshly. "At least, we _were_ engaged. We had a fight tonight, and… I don't know."

The woman put a hand on his back and rubbed it affectionately.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Commander." she said, moving her hand to his thigh. "She must be crazy to let you go."

Shepard swatted her hand away.

"Even if she doesn't love me anymore, I'll _always_ love her." Shepard barked at her. "Now leave me alone."

The woman was undeterred, however, "Oh, come on, Commander. She doesn't deserve…"

Her sentence was interrupted by a three-fingered fist connecting squarely with her jaw. The woman fell off her seat and looked up from the ground to see a menacing quarian woman standing over her.

"He said leave him alone, you bitch!" Tali hissed at the woman.

The woman backed away to safety as Tali growled at her.

She then turned to Shepard and hugged him tightly.

"John! I'm _so_ sorry, Glyph showed me everything!" she exclaimed as she cried into his shoulder. "I know you didn't cheat. I love you so much, please forgive me!"

"Tali, you have nothing to be sorry for. I know how bad it looked, I didn't expect you to react any differently." Shepard replied as he hugged her back even tighter. "I'm sorry for putting you in that position. I love you, Tali, I thought I lost you."

The two bondmates stood there for a few minutes, hugging and telling each other how much they meant to each other.

Tali whispered in John's ear, "Come on, _saera_ , let's go home."

"Of course, Miss vas Normandy." Shepard whispered back. As they walked out, Shepard added, "By the way, you have the best right hook I've ever seen."

Tali giggled as she pulled Shepard in close. Their future was alive again. Nothing would ever drive them apart.


	38. Chapter 38: Forgiveness

**Author's Note: Some readers had a few complaints regarding last chapter, so I thought I'd try resolve them in case anyone else felt the same way. First, I was trying to show just how emotional Tali was when she caught Liara kissing Shepard. Emotions easily cloud people's judgement, and Tali's emotions definitely got the best of her. Second, Tali wasn't so much mad at Shepard, she was mad at Liara and herself. But since her emotions and insecurities were running rampant, she unfortunately took out her anger on Shepard. The lines from Tali's self-doubt show that she believed it was either her suit, her being a quarian, or something she did that drove Shepard to Liara. When she sees how she reacted in Glpyh's recording, she instantly knew what she did was wrong. Third, Shepard knew better than to try to fight back against Tali's anger. When emotions are clouding a person's judgement, they won't see reason, no matter how obvious it is. If anyone else had any complaints regarding last chapter, please PM me and I'd be more than happy to explain my reasoning. Also, shout out to everyone who has reviewed Unbreakable Bond! Super shout out to lambo105, who faithfully reviews every chapter. You're the MVP!**

* * *

Shepard sighed, and put his face into the palms of his hands. He rubbed his temples, trying to reduce the stress that was building into a headache.

 _This is going to be difficult_. Shepard thought.

He had just got off the comms with Liara, who was on her way over to the apartment. It had been two days since the 'incident', and neither Shepard nor Tali had heard anything from her since. That had probably been for the best, considering the couple was still fuming mad at her. However, for the sake of crew unity, this had to be done. Tali had suggested the just kick her off the Normandy. While unwanted sexual advances were sufficient grounds for removal from any ship's crew, Shepard knew Liara's Shadow Broker connections had been invaluable over the past year. They needed to resolve this issue now, before it got worse or anyone else found out.

"Tali, I just called Liara. She's on her way over." Shepard announced.

Tali came over from the kitchen and joined him on the couch, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck for support. She had her suit off, and was wearing one of the tank tops and sweatpants that she bought earlier that week.

"Do we have to do this?" Tali asked.

She was still concerned about the prospects of seeing Liara again so soon. Tali was slightly afraid she'd go feral and try to attack Liara again, though to be honest she probably wouldn't mind if she did.

"I don't want to do this either, but we have to." Shepard answered. "If we don't settle this problem now, it'll just get worse."

Tali sighed, "I guess you're right. Why does it seem like you're always right?"

Shepard chuckled softly, "Because most of the time I am."

He winked at Tali, who gave him a playful punch in the arm in return.

" _Bosh'tet._ " she retorted, failing to stifle a giggle.

Tali's mood suddenly changed for the worse, she slid off Shepard and onto the couch. She found herself staring at her lap, her hands wringing together.

Tali spoke in a quiet voice, "John, I'm… I'm _so_ sorry about the other night. When I saw how I reacted, I…"

Her apology was interrupted by Shepard's hand on her cheek, gently turning her head so she faced him. His lips met hers, a sensation Tali knew she would never tire of. When they parted, Shepard looked deep into her glowing eyes.

"Tali, it's okay, I already told you I forgive you." he said with a smile.

Tali stood up and started pacing nervously.

"No, John, it's not okay. It wasn't your fault at all, and I yelled at you like it was." she said, her voice quivering. " _Keelah_ , I _hit_ you. I hit you over and over, what kind of a bondmate does that? And you just took it, and never retaliated."

Shepard stood up, and pulled her in for a hug to stop her rambling.

"Do you remember what happened on the Normandy after the geth dreadnaught? Between me and Gerrel?" he asked.

"Of course, I'll never forget. I thought you were going to rip his head off, _I_ wanted to rip his head off." Tali answered.

"I wanted to kick his ass. I knew I was in the right, and what he did was wrong." Shepard explained. "But I knew that no good would come from hurting him. I knew that if I let my emotions get the better of me, it would make the situation worse."

They parted just enough so Shepard could see Tali's face. He gently brushed aside a lock of her hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"The same applied to the other night. I knew I did nothing wrong, but I also knew how it looked to you." Shepard continued. "If I got mad and started yelling back at you, our fight would've been much worse. I knew I had to wait until you calmed down to prove to you what really happened."

"Still, I shouldn't have hit you. Or thrown that datapad at you." Tali stated.

Shepard took her hands in his, and gently rubbed them with his thumbs.

"You're right, you shouldn't have." Shepard agreed. "But, I forgive you, because I love you. And I always will."

Tali kissed him passionately. When they parted, she had a beaming smile on her face.

"How did I get so lucky?" Tali wondered aloud.

"You? How did _I_ get so lucky?" he countered. "The most kind, caring, and beautiful woman in the galaxy is going to be my lifemate."

Tali blushed, and kissed him again.

"Liara is going to be here soon." she observed with a sigh. "I'm going to put my suit back on."

Shepard watched, with a grin on his face, as Tali left and disappeared from view upstairs. Unbeknownst to the other, each of them said a silent prayer. Tali thanked the Ancestors for bringing Shepard into her life, and Shepard thanked God for the same reason.

A few minutes later, Tali reemerged with her suit on. She snuggled up close to Shepard on the couch, and waited for Liara to arrive. When the doorbell rang about 10 minutes later, Shepard glanced down at Tali.

"You ready?" he asked.

Tali sighed again, "No, but like you said, we have to do this."

Shepard gave her a light squeeze on her thigh, and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw Liara on the other side, her head hung low. She quickly glanced up at him.

"Hello, Shepard." Liara greeted, her voice just above a whisper.

"Come in, Liara. We have a lot to talk about." Shepard stated.

He stepped aside to let her in, and closed the door behind her. Liara slowly walked inside, obviously very uncomfortable being in this situation. She looked up and saw Tali sitting on the couch, but her shame prevented Liara from greeting her. Tali's rage prevented her from greeting Liara. As Shepard walked back and took a seat next to Tali, he said another silent prayer asking for the strength to forgive Liara.

Shepard was the first to talk, "So, Liara, it was pretty clear to me that you were very drunk two nights ago. How much do you remember?"

"Not very much, honestly. I don't remember anything before Tali's… reaction." Liara responded. "Tali, I completely understand why you tried to attack me. You don't have to feel sorry about it."

"I don't." Tali replied harshly.

Shepard waved Glyph over, "Well, since you don't remember what happened, we're going to refresh your memory. Glyph, play the recording."

Glyph's hologram projection flickered to life on the coffee table, and the events of that night began playing in front of them. Liara's hand covered her mouth in shock when she saw herself lie to Shepard about Tali, sit unnecessarily close to him, and ask him why he picked Tali over her.

 _"Come on, Shepard, just one more time." she proposed. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "And Tali will never know."_

Tears began to well in Liara's eyes when she fully realized how severe her betrayal of Tali, her friend, had been. Shepard felt Tali tense up at Liara's words. Liara gasped when she saw herself pull Shepard down, straddle him, and kiss him.

"That's enough, Glyph." Shepard ordered.

There was an awkward, silent pause before Liara took a deep breath and released it.

"Before anything else, I have to know one thing. Are you two still together?" she asked.

Tali spoke before Shepard could.

"Yes, and we intend to keep it that way." she hissed.

Liara let out a breath the couple hadn't realized she was holding in.

"Thank the Goddess, I was so worried that my actions would cause you two to end your relationship." she said, sounding very relieved. "Shepard, Tali, I am so ashamed of what I did. I promise, it will never happen again."

"It better _not_." Tali responded, venom dripping from her words.

Shepard took Tali's hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Liara, it's obvious that you have feelings for me. I can't stress this enough, we will _never_ be together." he stated. "Tali and I are fully bonded, and are going to become lifemates after this war is over. We both love each other, and that will never change."

"I understand, Shepard. What I did was incredibly foolish and selfish, and I promise you that before that night I had never planned on acting on my feelings." Liara replied. "I never intended to split you two apart, and I swear to the Goddess it will never happen again."

Liara paused again, and she stared at the ground.

"I'll understand if you kick me off the Normandy." she said.

"Liara, I'm not going to kick you off the Normandy, but let me be _very_ clear with you. The _only_ reason I'm still allowing you to serve onboard is because your Shadow Broker services have been invaluable." Shepard stated firmly. "However, if I so much as catch you _looking_ at me the wrong way, I'll drop your ass off at the nearest spaceport. Am I understood?"

Liara had to hide her excitement at still being allowed on the Normandy.

"Understood, Shepard." Liara answered.

"Good." Shepard paused before continuing. "Liara, I know you're a good person, and I hope this was just a horrible lapse of judgement on your part. So, because of that, I forgive you."

Liara perked up, "Really? Thank you, Shep…"

She was interrupted by Shepard holding his hand up, a signal for her to stop.

"However, everything I said before is still true. I forgive you, but I'll be keeping you on a _very_ short leash until I can trust you again." Shepard stated.

He looked at Tali, hoping to hear her say she forgave Liara too. She didn't say a word, instead kept looking daggers at Liara.

Shepard sighed internally, but he couldn't blame Tali for not forgiving Liara.

"Okay, Liara, you can go. Just so you know, Garrus knows everything that happened." Shepard said. "I don't want anyone else hearing a word of any of this, clear?"

"Of course, Shepard. And I'm _so_ sorry, you two." Liara answered, making her way towards the door. "Thanks again for forgiving me, Shepard. I'll see you two around."

Tali felt a gnawing deep down in her stomach. A feeling that she should forgive Liara. She wanted so badly to just hate Liara. However, in her soul, Tali knew that was no way to live. Liara had been her friend, and aside from this incident, she was a good person. Finally, Tali relented and gave in to the gnawing feeling.

"Liara, wait." she said, just as the asari was about to walk through the door.

Liara spun around, "Yes, Tali?"

Tali slowly walked over to Liara.

"It's going to take some time to trust you again, but I… forgive you." she said.

"Thank you, Tali." Liara replied, sounding relieved. "I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again."

Tali leaned in close, and whispered into Liara's ear, "Good, because if it does, I can't promise I won't kill you."

She pulled away, and glared at Liara, making sure her words had the desired effect. Liara nervously nodded and hurried out the door.

Tali turned back to see Shepard smiling at her.

"I'm glad you forgave her, Tali. Hating someone is easy, forgiving them is hard." he commended her.

"Honestly, John, the only reason I did was because of you. _Keelah_ , I wanted so bad to just hate her." Tali admitted. "But you forgave me, even after the terrible things I did, and you forgave Liara too. I figured that if you could forgive both of us, I could forgive Liara."

Shepard's smile grew even wider, and he wrapped his arms around Tali, which she happily reciprocated.

"Now that all that mess is behind us, got any plans for the evening?" he asked.

"None, I'm all yours." Tali answered before pausing. "I'm as free as the dust in the solar wind."

Shepard pulled back slightly and gave her a puzzled look.

"You remember that line? From Fleet and Flotilla?" she asked. "Shalei and Bellicus on the balcony?"

"I've never seen Fleet and Flotilla." Shepard admitted.

" _What?_ You've never… how could you not have?" Tali questioned, incredulously. "Well, I know what we're doing tonight!"

* * *

An hour and a half later, the couple was halfway into Fleet and Flotilla. Tali had changed back into her previous outfit of a tank top and sweatpants, and was gleefully snuggled up close to Shepard. Her head was resting on his chest, and he was gently stroking her arm with his fingertips, sending tingling sensations throughout her body.

When Tali saw Shalei meet Bellicus on the balcony, she exclaimed, "John, this is the part I was talking about!"

Shepard paid even closer attention to the vid than before. He actually was thoroughly enjoying it, which he would never admit to anyone, besides Tali. He normally hated romance vids, but for some reason he liked this one. Perhaps because it was Tali's favorite.

 _"But Shalei, we can never be together. I have my duty, and you have your people." Bellicus reluctantly stated._

 _Shalei shook her head, "Not tonight. Tonight, I'm as free as the dust in the solar wind."_

Shepard glanced down the see Tali silently mouthing every single word, as if she had it memorized.

 _And I thought she couldn't get any cuter_. he thought, smiling.

Tali did, in fact, have all the lines memorized. She perked up when she remembered what was coming next.

She quickly got up, and pulled Shepard up with her.

"Tali, what are you doing?" he asked, softly chuckling.

Tali beamed, "Something I've wanted to do for awhile."

Music began to play from the vid, and she did something he didn't expect, she started singing.

"Let the moon's shining light hide two lovers with it's rays. Though I know that dawn will set us on course for separate ways." Tali sang beautifully. "I will hold this night in memory for all my living days. Now unmasked, I feel your skin on mine!"

She then pulled Shepard in for a long, passionate kiss.

When they finally parted for air, Tali revealed, "I've wanted to do that ever since I first saw this vid."

"That was beautiful, Tali. And I know I've said it before, but your voice is incredible." he complimented. "I had no idea you loved this vid so much."

"It FTL-jumped me into puberty, and who doesn't love a good cross-species romance?" Tali responded.

Shepard grinned, "No argument here."

 _"I want you to see behind this mask. I want you to see who I truly am." Shalei said._

 _"I already have." Bellicus stated._

"Works for me." Tali added, and pulled Shepard in for another passionate kiss.

When the vid was over, seeing that it was late, Shepard and Tali decided to go to bed.

"Thanks for suggesting we watch that, I actually enjoyed it. Though, based on how much you love it, I'm surprised you didn't have a thing for Garrus." Shepard joked.

Tali laughed, "Are you serious, that _bosh'tet_? Don't get me wrong, he's a great friend, but… no, just no."

As the couple walked hand in hand up the stairs to the bedroom, Tali shuddered at the idea of her with Garrus.

 _Never in a million years._ she thought.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Apparently, some people don't like the scene in ME3 where Tali sings to Shepard. Well, those people are wrong. The beauty of that scene is that Tali holds nothing back when she sings. She is completely vulnerable, sharing something that has a deep meaning behind it with Shep. Who doesn't like that?**


	39. Chapter 39: The Party

**Author's Note: Unbreakable Bond now has over 25,000 views! I just wanted to say thanks to all of you! You all made this story into what it has become, and I greatly appreciate it.**

* * *

"Hey everyone, come on in!" Shepard greeted as he opened the front door.

It was time for the party to begin. This was the final night of the Normandy crew's shore leave, and they were determined to end it on a high note. Joker had originally suggested the idea of throwing a party after they defeated Shepard's clone. The whole crew loved the idea, and agreed to save it for the last night. Everybody, from both the SR-1 and the SR-2, had shown up. Shepard and Tali welcomed everyone as they filed into their apartment. Since they were the only ones not staying in a hotel, they decided to be the hosts.

"Drinks are in the coolers at the bar. We have levo and dextro beer, wine, as well as some ryncol for those of us who can handle it." Shepard announced.

Wrex and Grunt grinned at each other after hearing ryncol was present.

"Snacks are in the kitchen. Everyone, make yourselves at home." Shepard continued. "But more importantly, have a good time! Glyph, start the music!"

Glyph happily obliged, and a playlist containing songs of many different genres began playing. Like the closeted alcoholics they all appeared to be, almost everyone immediately made their way to the bar. Wrex and Grunt each grabbed a bottle of ryncol, and Tali questioned whether or not providing krogan hard liquor had been a wise decision. Everyone else either grabbed a bottle of beer or poured a glass of wine, the firsts of many. They all split off into smaller groups, and James and Cortez set a few large bags down on the kitchen counter, which piqued Shepard's interest.

"What do you two have there?" he asked.

"Tortilla chips, nacho cheese, raw beef, and jalapeno peppers." Cortez answered.

" _Loco_ , you haven't lived until you've eaten some of my nachos! Trust me, they'll be the best you ever had!" James proudly asserted, turning on every single burner on the stove.

Shepard grinned and shook his head, "I'll hold you to it, James. And just so you know, if you make a mess, Tali will make _you_ clean it up."

The three laughed, and James began cooking the beef while Cortez prepared the cheese and peppers.

Before the party got out of control, Shepard called everyone to the living room.

"Everyone, come here for a minute!" he shouted. "Let's get a photo to remember this. Come over by the couch."

"An excellent suggestion, Shepard." EDI said.

Various others made comments about wanting a copy of the photo.

Wrex barged his way over, "Make way, make way!"

Glyph floated over, and set up the perfect shot. Wrex, Grunt, Traynor, and James stood up on the raised platform behind the couch. Traynor simply smiled, while James saluted, and Wrex and Grunt tried to look as intimidating as possible. Jack, Liara, Miranda, Jacob, Cortez, Kaidan, and Samara stood directly behind the couch. All happily smiled at Glyph. Garrus took a seat directly in the middle of the couch, with Joker and EDI sitting together on his left. Shepard and Tali sat to Garrus' right. The each put an arm around the other, and leaned their heads together. They both cheerfully smiled at Glyph. Glyph took a perfect picture, forever immortalizing the surviving crew of both the Normandy SR-1 and SR-2.

After the picture was taken, the group dispersed. Tali, Garrus, Samara, and Traynor gathered in the kitchen, so Shepard decided to join them. He took a seat on the counter next to Tali, and put an arm around her shoulders. She in turn leaned into him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Traynor spoke to him first, "So, Shepard, has anyone else tried to steal the Normandy lately?"

"Not recently. No other clones have tried to kill me either, so I think I'm in the clear." Shepard joked.

"Don't worry, we can always… *hiccup*… get another Normandy. We'll just call up… *hiccup*… Cerberus, and ask them to _please_ build us the SR-3." Tali commented.

It was obvious to Shepard that she was already drunk. Tali had gotten nervous about hosting the party about an hour before, so he suggested she have a drink to take the edge off. She apparently had more than one.

"But wouldn't that require you to change your name to 'Tali'Zorah vas Normandy SR-3'?" Samara quipped, showing a glimpse of her seldom seen sense of humor.

"Well, I've already changed… *hiccup*… my name twice before. And, I'll be changing it… *hiccup*… to 'Tali'Shepard' after this war." Tali responded. "What's one more name change?"

"Oh, I forgot! 'Tali'Shepard' just sounds so right." Traynor responded. "Have you two set the date of your bonding ceremony yet?"

"Not yet, but it will… *hiccup*… be as soon after the war as possible. It'll be on Rannoch, and… *hiccup*… you're all invited!" Tali answered.

Shepard gave Tali a gentle squeeze, "Have I ever told you how cute you are when you hiccup?"

Tali giggled, "Have I ever told you how cute _you_ are?"

She tried to kiss him, but she remembered she had her visor on when it clunked into Shepard's face. They settled for tapping forehead to visor instead.

"So, is this a Tali-Shepard love nest? I hope we aren't interrupting anything you two might've been… _planning_." Garrus asked with a sly grin.

"*hiccup*… Wouldn't you like to know, Garrus." Tali answered.

Shepard gave Garrus a wink, and Garrus grinned back at him.

* * *

About an hour later, Shepard, now sufficiently buzzed, found himself at the bar. Joker, Garrus, Cortez, and Wrex were there as well, and sufficiently buzzed also.

"Joker, you don't have a sidearm under your pilot's chair?" Cortez asked. "I keep a full arms locker in the Kodiak."

Joker waved off the idea, "The weapons locker is on the bridge, practically _right there_!"

"A weapon you can't get to is no weapon at all! When's the last time you trained with a handgun?" Garrus retorted.

"Don't have to, anytime Shepard catches a whiff of danger he comes riding in to save the day." Joker quipped.

"Very funny, Joker. But what about another Collector attack scenario?" Shepard questioned. "Unless you think you can clear a ship by yourself, while unarmed, _twice_ , you're screwed. That, and it would've been nice to have some backup at Ryuusei."

Joker put his hands up, "Alright, alright, I'll think about it. Although, I can probably only fire one shot before my wrist breaks."

Garrus chuckled, "If you know what you're doing, one shot is all you need."

Shepard hadn't seen Tali in a while, so he headed off to find his bondmate. He noticed Liara hanging out on the balcony, no Tali in sight. Even though the 'incident' was weeks ago, she was making sure to keep her distance from Shepard and Tali.

 _Probably for the best_. Shepard thought.

He eventually found Tali in the recreation room, along with Miranda, James, and Jacob.

She noticed Shepard entering the room, and called out, "John! You're just in time!"

"Just in time for what?" he asked with a smile.

"Tali was just about to act out the differences between the original Normandy and the SR-2!" James answered, his mouth full of nachos.

Shepard had to admit, James' nachos were amazing. He had already had two plates worth. James had also saved him the trouble of having to order delivery for the party, as he made more than enough nachos for everybody, including Wrex and Grunt.

Tali raised up her arms like wings, and began her impressions.

"First, the ventilation system. On the SR-1, it sounded like 'shhuuuuuum, shhuuuuuuummm'." she acted out. "Of course, the SR-2 is _much_ bigger, so they upgraded. Now it's more 'wuhwuhwuhwuhwuhwuuuuuh'."

Everyone started laughing.

"That's actually what it sounds like!" Jacob complimented.

"Now, if you move further up it's more of a 'tktuh-tktuh-tktuh-tktuh-tktuh'. Imagine my arms are the wings." Tali added.

"Of course, over by the med bay!" Miranda correctly guessed.

"So which one's better?" James asked, wiping nacho cheese from his mouth.

"We wouldn't have the SR-2 if it wasn't for the original Normandy." Shepard commented.

Tali agreed, "It was a great ship!"

"But, each ship is great in its own way. To the Normandy!" Shepard toasted, lifting his glass.

"To the Normandy!" everyone toasted back.

After everyone had taken a drink, Tali added, "And to falling in love with the captain!"

"Don't forget falling in love with the best engineer onboard." Shepard said, grabbing one of her hands.

A chorus of 'aww' came from the rest of the group.

All of a sudden, Kaidan called out, "Everyone, gather in the kitchen!"

Tali grabbed Shepard's hand, and led him there. They saw Kaidan putting the finishing touches on a game of beer pong. 20 cups full of beer were set up on the large table in the back, 10 on each end. They were arranged the same way bowling pins were. Once everyone had gathered around, Kaidan made his announcement.

"Alright, so I overheard people debating which was better, the SR-1 or the SR-2. While the ship itself is important, the crew is what makes a ship special." he explained. "So, I propose a challenge. A game of beer pong, between two SR-1 crew members and two SR-2 crew members."

"Oh _hell yes_! I'm in!" James shouted, putting the finishing touches on another plate of nachos. "Esteban, get your ass over here! We'll represent the SR-2."

"Alright, since I'm so confident the SR-1 crew is better, I'll let you pick my teammate." Kaidan offered.

An evil grin appeared on James' face, and he pointed right at Shepard.

" _Loco_ , I pick you. Not only will I embarrass you in front of your whole crew, I'll embarrass you in front of your girl too." James intimidated, all in good fun of course.

Shepard wasn't going to back down from this challenge, especially after Tali told him to "kick that _bosh'tet's_ ass."

He high-fived Kaidan, "Okay James, I've already beaten you in bench press and pullups, why not add beer pong to the list?"

That got the crowd excited, and he tossed the ping pong ball to James.

"I'll even let Team SR-2 go first." Shepard added.

James lined up his shot, and tossed the ball directly into one of Team SR-1's cups. Miranda, Jacob, Jack, Grunt, Samara, EDI, and Traynor, the crew members who had only served on the SR-2, cheered. Shepard drank the beer, and then tossed the ball directly into one of Team SR-2's cups. Tali, Garrus, Liara, Joker, and Wrex, the crew members who had been on the SR-1, cheered. Both teams traded blows, with multiple misses, until only one cup remained for both teams.

It was James' turn to shoot. He tossed the ping pong ball, but it had a little too much power behind it. It bounced off the back rim of the cup and landed on the table. Everyone who had served on the SR-1 cheered. Now it was Shepard's shot, he could win the game for Team SR-1 right here. He was having difficulty lining up his shot, all the alcohol in his system was having it's expected effect on him. Suddenly, Tali grabbed him, and gave him a good luck kiss with her vocalizer.

"Don't expect the same from me." Kaidan joked.

With renewed vigor, Shepard lined up a shot. He tossed the ball, but it hit the rim of the cup and bounced up. Everyone held their breath as they watched the tiny, white ball fly into the air and begin to fall back down. After what seemed like an eternity, the ball came down with a small splash in the remaining Team SR-2 cup.

Team SR-1 erupted into emphatic cheers, and Shepard and Kaidan high-fived excitedly. James could only grin and shake his head, downing the last cup of beer. Tali jumped into Shepard's arms, and he spun her around gleefully. The large amounts of alcohol in everyone's system made them celebrate with more intensity than they usually would.

"Team SR-1!" they all shouted.

Shepard and Kaidan congratulated James and Cortez on a good game. Miranda and Jacob challenged Team SR-1 for a rematch, and Garrus and Tali took them up on their challenge. Kaidan poured 10 cups of levo beer and 10 cups of dextro beer (with another 10 in sterilized containers for Tali so she could drink too), and the rematch began.

* * *

Hours passed, and the party began to wind down late into the night. Everyone was incredibly drunk, and they were mainly doing their own thing. Wrex and Grunt were lazily wrestling on the floor. Garrus was pretending to snipe imaginary enemies from the balcony. James was lying underneath the waterfall, mumbling something about Miranda in a bikini. Shepard had sobered up a bit, and hadn't seen Tali in half an hour, so he went on the hunt for her. As he passed by the downstairs bathroom, he heard Tali's voice.

"Totallyyyy… worth it…" she mumbled from inside the bathroom.

Shepard chuckled softly and placed his ear to the door.

"S'all spinnnning… so many… efforts…" Tali slurred in her drunken state.

Shepard knocked on the door, "Tali, are you okay?"

He slid open the door to find his bondmate sprawled out on the bathroom floor.

"Yep!" she answered. "You want to see my tattoo?"

Shepard laughed, "I don't think you have a tattoo, Tali."

"It's a hologram, omni-tattoo. Omni-tat, omni-too?" she explained. "Under the suit. You know, for _me_."

Tali slowly sat up and focused on Shepard.

"You wanna know what it is? You wanna know?" she asked. "It's a pretty bird, made of rainbows. It is flying out the eyehole of a skull being held in the mouth of a thresher maw with a naked woman holding a sword on it's back. Jack said you'd think it was hot."

Shepard sat down next to her, "Remind me to talk to Jack in the morning. Where'd you get the omni-tattoo anyway?"

"Down in the lower wards, near the bottom." Tali answered.

"I meant where on your body." Shepard clarified.

Tali laughed, "So did I! Yeah, I heard that one from Liara."

Shepard stood up, and scooped Tali into his arms.

"It's time for some rest, Tali." he said.

She didn't protest, and hung onto the back of his neck.

Tali said more drunken ramblings as Shepard carried her to their bed, "No, that gets broken down with mass effect fields, those are just my hips… Go for the optics, Chatika."

Shepard gently set her down on the bed, and closed the bedroom door. He brought up his omnitool to run her suit's detox feature. An error message popped up, saying her suit was out of toxin filters.

 _Uh oh, she won't be happy tomorrow morning. Just how much did she drink tonight?_ Shepard wondered.

He changed into his usual sleeping attire, and crawled into bed next to Tali, wrapping his arms around her.

"Mmm, John… you know I'm ticklish…" she said, in a flirtatious tone.

Shepard chuckled softly, "Goodnight, Tali."

* * *

Shepard was the first to wake up in the morning, and his stretching accidentally woke up Tali.

"Wow, what a night." he said, rubbing his temples. "But look who's here."

" _Keelah_ , I'm going to be _so_ sick. I'm _never_ getting drunk again." Tali responded.

Shepard smiled, "Totally worth it?"

"I'll let you know." Tali answered, and began scanning herself with her omnitool. "How did I run out of toxin filters last night? And… when did I get an omni-tattoo?"

"Apparently Jack did it for you, I'll go have a chat with her." Shepard answered.

Tali slowly sat up, and pulled her knees to her chest.

"I… am going… to die. Don't get me wrong, great party, but… uh… yeah." she groaned. "I'll just be here, right here, forever."

Shepard gently patted her on the back, and left to see if anyone else was up. As soon as Tali felt up for it, she found Jack and made her remove the omni-tattoo, in private.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I have a favor to ask of you all. I'm on the hunt for a good TalixShepard fanfic, and I'd like your suggestions! I've already read a lot of them, such as the _To Survive_ series and the _Razor's Edge_ series. I'd appreciate it if you all could suggest some of your favorite TalixShepard fanfics in a review, hopefully there will be some suggestions I haven't read. **


	40. Chapter 40: The Hornet's Nest

Shepard stood on the viewing deck of docking bay D24, leaning against the railing. Before him sat the Normandy, the ship he had called home for the past two years. It had survived the mission against the Collectors, and had so far survived the Reaper War. He grinned as he thought about all the good times he had aboard her. Shepard was stirred from his thoughts as someone leaned against the railing next to him. He looked to his right, and saw Tali, the love of his life. In a way, he had the original Normandy to thank for bringing the two together. If Anderson hadn't been given command, and in turn chosen Shepard to be his XO, he probably wouldn't have been a part in the series of events that led to him meeting Tali.

 _But, then again, somebody probably had this all planned out_. he mused, glancing upwards towards Heaven with a knowing grin.

Shepard noticed the rest of the Normandy crew had gathered on the viewing deck when Garrus leaned on the railing to his left.

Tali leaned her head on Shepard's shoulder, and he in turn leaned his head against hers. For a moment, the two gazed upon the ship that had played such an important role in their lives.

"I guess shore leave's over." Tali sadly remarked.

"It was fun while it lasted. I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else." Shepard replied, putting a hand on hers. "We also threw one hell of a party. Hopefully it won't be the last one."

"No, it won't be. We can still win this war." she asserted, squeezing his hand. "No matter what happens next, you'll find a way to do what's right. For all of us."

"I couldn't have gotten this far without the rest of the crew. Without you by my side." he told her. "I was just thinking how crazy the past few years have been. But honestly, they've been the best of my life."

"Serving on a human ship, falling in love with it's captain? I never would've guessed." Tali admitted, rubbing his hand with her thumb. "And I wouldn't trade it for anything. We've had a good ride."

Shepard grinned and looked at the Normandy, "The best. Come on, let's head home."

Shepard and Tali walked hand in hand to the Normandy, the rest of the crew following closely behind. Shore leave had treated them all well; they were rested, relaxed, and refocused. They were also more determined than ever to finish the fight.

After parting ways with Tali down in Engineering, Shepard made his way up to the CIC. He grinned as Joker completed the pre-flight checks, he had recently learned from a certain quarian engineer that they were actually unnecessary. Half an hour later, Shepard felt the telltale tremor as the Normandy's engines roared to life. The docking clamps released, and the Normandy backed away from the docking bay.

"Alright, Shepard, we are good to go. Just waiting on you to set our destination." Joker stated over the comms.

Shepard opened the galaxy map, and punched in the coordinates for the rendezvous point Admiral Hackett had transmitted. The Alliance was preparing for an assault on Cronos Station, the Cerberus headquarters. Traynor had found it's location by following the tracker Miranda had placed on Kai Leng when he attacked her at Sanctuary. In a few days time, the Alliance would strike at the heart of Cerberus.

* * *

All things considered, the attack on Cronos Station had gone fairly well so far. While the Alliance fleets had the majority of the Cerberus defense occupied, the Normandy had been able to slip into the system undetected. Cortez had dropped off Shepard, Tali, and EDI in a hangar bay, and the trio had fought their way deeper into the station. However, Shepard now found himself hesitating. Before him was a console that hadn't been scrubbed, one that contained files regarding Project Lazarus. A debate was raging inside him, over whether or not he should view the files. Did he really want to know what had gone on while he was still dead?

"Hey, John, we don't have to view these entries if you don't want to." Tali said reassuringly, placing a hand on his shoulder from behind.

Shepard didn't respond, still caught up in his thoughts. After a few more moments, he hesitantly pushed the button to play the first entry.

" _Sir, Shepard is clinically brain dead. After that much trauma, that long with no oxygen… we cannot overcome nature." the scientist protested, trying to convince the Illusive Man._

 _The Illusive Man, however, was unswayed._

 _"Operative Lawson disagrees. She is now in charge of Project Lazarus." he ordered._

Shepard stared absentmindedly at the vidscreen.

"I… didn't realize it was that bad." he admitted.

Tali comfortingly stroked his arm, " _Keelah_ … are you alright?"

Shepard said nothing, still staring at the vidscreen. He suddenly turned around and looked at Tali, a pained look on his face.

"I'm still me, right? I doubt I could've turned on Cerberus otherwise." he said, frantically. "Maybe they really just fixed me… or maybe I'm just a high-tech VI that thinks it's Commander Shepard. I don't know… I…"

Tali cut him off before he could continue, not wanting him to travel farther down that path.

"You are _real_. Real… _and mine._ " Tali assured him. "You're still the man I met three years ago. I know because I fell in love with that man."

Shepard managed a weak grin. He was convinced that Tali was right, but a flurry of doubts still flew around in his head. Shepard turned back around and played the next entry.

 _"Sir, you realize Shepard was the one who shut down our operations with the rachni and the thorian creepers. He's also the one who found Admiral Kahoku." the scientist stated. "I doubt he'll be willing to work with us."_

 _The Illusive Man was again unconvinced, "Shepard's a soldier, he knows the Reapers are the real threat. He'll work with us._ "

Shepard placed his hands on the console and hung his head, "Every instinct I had told me not to trust Cerberus. But I needed their help, so I played along."

Tali wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know, John, I was there with you. And I'm here now, shutting Cerberus down." she comforted.

Shepard was about to push the button to play the third entry, but Tali stopped him.

"No more revisiting the past. We're here, now, and we're putting a stop to Cerberus." she said.

Shepard turned to her, "You're right, let's finish this."

With that, Shepard, Tali, and EDI pushed further into Cronos Station.

After overcoming heavy resistance, the trio had managed to fight their way to the Illusive Man's inner sanctum. After making sure the room was clear, Shepard sat down in the Illusive Man's chair and brought the interfaces to life.

"Tali, EDI, download whatever data you can. I'll find the Prothean VI." he ordered.

After a minute or so, Shepard heard a voice that made him spin around, Carnifex drawn.

"Shepard, you're in _my_ chair." the Illusive Man sneered.

Shepard holstered his pistol, realizing it was just a QED projection of the Illusive Man.

"Actually, this chair is Alliance property now. Just like the rest of your station." Shepard shot back. "Cerberus is finished."

While Shepard and the Illusive Man conversed, Tali was busy recovering as much data from Cerberus' computers as she could. All of a sudden, her audio inputs picked up what sounded like footsteps. She whirled around, shotgun at the ready. Tali only saw Shepard, EDI, and the Illusive Man's projection. She heard the footsteps again, they sounded like they were coming from above. Tali looked up at the ceiling, and gasped as she saw Kai Leng positioned over Shepard.

"John! Above!" she called out, firing a slug at Leng.

Shepard glanced up just in time to see Kai Leng jump down from the ceiling. He dove away to avoid being impaled by Leng's sword. A biotic blast sent Shepard tumbling, and he recovered just in time to block Leng's sword with his forearm gauntlet.

"Shepard, I think you've overstayed your welcome." Leng taunted.

At this point, Shepard's N7 training kicked in. He remembered that when in hand to hand combat with an enemy who has a blade, one must always focus on the hand that holds the blade. Control that, and strike with anything possible. Tali and EDI both couldn't line up a clear shot, not with Shepard so close to Leng. After a brief bout of hand to hand combat, Leng finally slipped up. Shepard grabbed Leng's wrist, preventing him from striking with his sword. At the same time, he pulled out his Carnifex. Shepard fired a quick volley of shots at Leng's chest. At this distance, Leng's biotic barrier did nothing as the rounds penetrated his armor and punched into his chest. He dropped to the floor, lying on his stomach.

With Leng taken care of, Shepard once again took a seat in the Illusive Man's chair. He continued his search for the Prothean VI, while Tali and EDI continued gathering data. Unbeknownst to the trio, Leng started to move. He lifted his head up and slowly reached for his sword. Using it for leverage, Leng got up on his feet again. He silently staggered over towards Shepard, eager to kill him.

 _You're mine._ Leng proudly thought.

He raised his sword above his head, prepared to drive it down into Shepard's neck. However, Shepard had heard him approaching. Right as he began to plunge his sword downward, Shepard moved out of the path of the blade. Leng hit nothing but the Illusive Man's console, and Shepard spun around as he activated his omni-blade. He thrust his omni-blade deep into Leng's chest, causing Leng to grunt loudly in pain. Shepard propped Leng up so he could look into his eyes. He twisted the blade inside Leng, who grunted in pain again and coughed out a sizeable amount of blood.

"That was for Thane, you son of a bitch." Shepard growled.

He pulled the omni-blade out of Leng, whose lifeless body collapsed to the floor.

* * *

 _Minutes after the Alliance capture of Cronos Station  
_ _Achilles Cell, Unknown Location_

"Dammit!" a man called out.

He slammed his fist into the table he was seated at. The man was in his early fifties, his age given away by graying hair. He had light skin, and was of a slim build. The lab coat he wore indicated his position as a scientist. His hazel eyes darted back and forth between the various holographic interfaces, confirming what he already knew. There were no longer any vital signs from any Cerberus personnel who had been stationed at Cronos Station. Even Kai Leng was dead, just killed by Shepard seconds earlier. It was his failure that had caused the man to yell. He was alone in a dark room, the only light coming from the console. He placed his elbows on the console in front of him, rubbing his temples with his hands. He repositioned his glasses and began looking over the interfaces again.

The door in the back of the room opened, and another man entered the room. He was in his late twenties, with light skin and of a muscular build. He wore the same uniform as all Cerberus personnel, the same uniform Shepard had worn over a year ago. The only difference in his uniform was the Carnifex holstered at his hip. The way he carried himself exuded confidence and intimidation.

"I take it from your reaction, Prager, that we lost Cronos Station." he speculated. "Not only that, but it looks like Kai Leng failed, again. Why am I not fucking surprised?"

"Damien, we lost everything. Cerberus is finished." Dr. Lewis Prager reluctantly stated, still rubbing his temples.

Damien was second-in-command of the Achilles Cell, he answered only to Prager and the Illusive Man. Everyone simply referred to him by his first name, because nobody but Prager and the Illusive Man knew his last name.

Damien huffed in amusement, "Did the funds transfer?"

Prager hit a few keys, and their cell's financial account popped up. All of Cerberus' massive net worth had been transferred to them.

He nodded, "Yes, it's all here."

"Then we've only lost a bunch of mindless soldiers, a shit assassin, and an indoctrinated fool. Jack Harper brought this upon himself." Damien asserted.

Prager wasn't used to hearing the Illusive Man's real name. Damien used his real name out of a lack of respect, he hadn't respected him in months.

" _Controlling_ the Reapers? He's out of his goddamn mind." he continued. "All that dumbass managed to do was get himself indoctrinated. Hell, he was probably indoctrinated long before he announced his plan to control the Reapers."

Prager hung his head. Though he agreed with everything Damien had said, he was still sad to see what the Illusive Man had become. Prager had been with Cerberus since its formation after the First Contact War. He had been 25 years old at the time, and just received his doctorate from Harvard University. Prager remembered seeing the brutality of the turians and the carnage at Shanxi on the news. He didn't hesitate to join Cerberus when the Illusive Man extended an offer. Since then, Prager had worked his way up to being the Illusive Man's top scientist and one of his few confidants.

"He was only doing what he thought was right." Prager countered.

"Bullshit, Harper didn't do anything right since Lawson resurrected Shepard. Everything went downhill from that point." Damien retorted, anger seeping into his voice. "He should've ordered a hit on Shepard right after he betrayed us on the Collector Base. And he should've sent me after Shepard, not that fuckup Kai Leng!"

His biotics flared as he slammed his fist into the table out of anger, leaving a sizeable dent in the stainless steel. Prager winced, all too familiar with Damien's anger issues. Damien flexed his hand repeatedly, and a contented smile crossed his face when he saw there was no damage. His smile quickly faded as he regained his train of thought.

"I'm the best weapon Harper had, and what did he have me doing? Babysitting fucking Henry Lawson on Horizon! " Damien shouted. "And at the first sign of trouble, he pulls me out and sends in Kai Leng. If I had been there, that bitch Miranda would be dead."

Prager had seen Damien in action first-hand, and agreed that he was Cerberus' best weapon. However, he also knew he had yet to reach his full potential. The Illusive Man had sent Kai Leng on those assignments because he had already reached his ceiling when it came to his skills. Damien was still a work in progress, and it had been wise to not put him in danger while he was still improving.

"Damien, we both know you haven't reached your full potential. You still have room for improvement." Prager explained. "We would've sent you after Shepard eventually, but you just weren't ready. Don't you want to face him when you're at your best?"

He braced himself for the verbal onslaught that was about to be unleashed upon him. To Prager's surprise, it never came.

"You're right, I can still improve." Damien relented.

Prager let out a sigh of relief, "Good, I'm glad you see it that way."

"And, the first thing I'll improve is organization. So, I'm assuming command of the Achilles Cell." Damien stated.

Prager's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, incredulously.

"You heard me. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, you're _way_ too valuable." Damien continued. "I'm just done taking orders from people who have no idea what the fuck they're doing."

Prager was still surprised, "I don't think that's a smart…"

He was interrupted by Damien's biotics pulling him across the room. He grabbed Prager by his collar and hoisted him a few inches off the ground. Since Damien was a few inches taller than Prager, the two were now face to face. Damien's blue eyes became even more piercing as element zero flared in them.

"I'm sorry, it sounded like you were questioning me. Did you want to finish what you were saying?" he asked.

Prager frantically shook his head, terrified of what Damien might do. Damien released him, and his biotics cooled down.

"Good. If there are any other cells left, let them know that I'm in charge now." he ordered. "I'm going to rebuild Cerberus, start from scratch. If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me personally."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Announcement! Unbreakable Bond will have a sequel, which will cover everything post-ME3, called Unbreakable Bond: Promises. Now, who are Damien and Dr. Prager? Without giving away to much, they will play a large role in the sequel. Let me know what your first impressions of them are!**


	41. Chapter 41: Preparations

The Normandy, along with the rest of the united galactic fleet, was en route to Earth. Ships from all races, human, turian, asari, quarian, geth, salarian, and all the other races, had assembled for this assault. After discovering the Reapers had moved the Citadel to Earth, a plan had been put in motion to deploy the Crucible. The galactic fleet had been divided into three groups, Sword, Hammer, and Shield. Once the fleet arrived at Earth, Sword would engage the Reaper fleet in orbit above Earth. At the same time, Hammer would land troops on Earth. Those troops would gain access to the Citadel through a beam Reaper ground forces had been using to transport dead humans to the Citadel. While Sword had the Reaper fleet distracted, Shield would dock the Crucible to the Citadel, which troops from Hammer would activate.

All the preparations had been made. Every detail checked and rechecked. Every ship captain knew their responsibility. Every soldier knew what their mission was. Every person involved, whether sailor or soldier, knew their chances of survival were low. The sailors would be attacking Reaper capital ships and destroyers head on. The soldiers would be deployed in London, which was the city with the highest concentration of Reaper ground forces. However, every person also knew the importance of this mission. The galactic forces had one shot. If they succeeded, the war would be over. They could return home to their loved ones. If they failed, they would lose their best chance of defeating the Reapers. The rest of the galaxy would be on the defensive until they were eventually overrun, just more victims of the Harvest.

Shepard was standing behind Joker in the cockpit, watching the blue-shifted light caused FTL speed through the windshield.

"You remember our first run to Eden Prime all those years ago, with that turian Spectre watching us?" Joker asked him.

Shepard grinned, "How could I forget? Nihlus was his name."

"Yeah, I told you that mission was going to be bigger than we thought." Joker said.

Shepard chuckled softly, "Understatement of the millennium right there. What was supposed to be a simple shakedown run and pick up turned into a four year fight for survival."

"And now, hopefully we can finish that fight." Joker added.

He paused before turning his chair around so he was facing Shepard.

"Just so you know, it's been an honor, Commander." Joker stated.

Shepard smiled, "Same here, Joker. I don't know how it's going to end, but whatever happens…"

"What do you mean 'whatever happens'? Everyone knows what's gonna happen." Joker asserted. "You're going to kick some Reaper ass, that's what you do. And I'll be flying you there in style."

"Damn right, Joker." Shepard agreed, before exiting the cockpit.

As Shepard was walking to the CIC, his omnitool beeped. It was a message from Garrus.

 _To: Shepard, Tali  
_ _From: Garrus_

 _Meet me in the Main Battery room._

Garrus usually wasn't one to send vague messages like this, but Shepard thought nothing of it. He made his way down to the Main Battery room like Garrus had wanted. When the door opened, he saw Tali had already arrived. She was leaning on one end of the console, with Garrus leaning on the other end.

"Shepard! Glad you could make it." Garrus joked.

Shepard smiled and shook his head as he walked inside, "Well, your message was so vague, I just had to see what you were up to."

He walked around to the back of the console, placing two hands on it.

"Turns out Garrus was a big softie after all. He invited us down here to say goodbye, just in case." Tali explained.

"I've been saying goodbye to everyone individually. But, given your situation, I thought it was best to say goodbye to both of you at the same time." Garrus clarified. "I consider you two to be my closest friends, and I wanted to thank both of you for that. We've been through Hell more times than I can count, but you two have always been there for me."

"That's what friends are for, Garrus. You've always been there for me too, probably saved my life a few times as well." Tali replied.

"Besides Kaidan, you've been with me the longest, Garrus. You're my best friend, and you've always had my back." Shepard stated. "You two are the only ones who have always been with me from the start, always stood with me when everyone else turned their backs. Thanks for that, for never doubting me."

He pulled Tali and Garrus in for a group hug, which the two happily returned.

"You taught me a lot, Shepard. I've changed for the better since I was at C-Sec." Garrus said. "You taught me not to take the law into my own hands when there are other options. I remember how much I wanted to kill Dr. Saleon, but you showed me a better way. Even though he forced our hand, I never regretted giving him the chance to surrender. You also taught me that revenge isn't always the best choice. You persuaded me to let Sidonis go, which I also never regretted. The hate I had for him consumed me, and I started down a dark path. You set me straight."

He offered his hand to Shepard, who gladly shook it.

"And Tali, you showed me how wrong I was about quarians. Before I met you, I was just as prejudiced as anyone." Garrus continued. "Hell, I even berated you on behalf of your whole species for losing your homeworld to the geth, right after I met you. I was wrong, Tali, I was immature and… just wrong about your people."

Tali smiled, though Garrus couldn't see it, "I forgave you for that a _long_ time ago, Garrus. You've been a good friend to me, and that's what matters."

"I think we've all down a lot of growing up over the past few years. It's what got us this far, and it's what'll get us to the end." Shepard said.

"Damn right, Shepard. Well, I've taken up enough of your time." Garrus stated. "Plus it's getting late, and I'm sure you two want some 'alone time'. I'll let you get to it."

Tali blushed intensely, and was glad Garrus couldn't see her face. The couple left the Main Battery room and headed toward the elevator. Once they were on, Tali leaned close to Shepard.

"I have to go check on a few things down in Engineering. It shouldn't take long." she told him. "Then I'll meet you in our cabin. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. Just don't take too long, Miss vas Normandy." Shepard replied with a wink.

20 or so minutes later, Shepard was sitting on the edge of his bed. He was reading a datapad that contained information on the rest of the galactic fleet. Shepard looked up when he heard the decontamination cycle finish, and saw the slim, beautiful form of his soon-to-be lifemate enter the cabin. A wide smile crossed his face, the same one that did every time he saw her.

"Okay, so I lied. Sorry for taking so long." Tali apologized.

"You don't need to apologize. I'd hate for something to go wrong in Engineering because I dragged my chief engineer away." Shepard joked. "I'm just glad you're here now. I… I need you, here, with me."

He let out a nervous sigh, all the worries he'd been hiding from the crew started to surface. Tali sat next to him on the bed, and compassionately stroked his arm. She gently turned his head so he was facing her.

"Hey, we'll get through this. _Together_ , just like we always have." Tali assured him. "And I'll always be there for you, whenever you need me. I'll stay here with you for as long as you want."

Shepard took a deep breath, his nerves calmed for the time being.

"You're right, thanks for that." Shepard responded.

"It's going to take a few more hours for the fleet to travel to Earth. I _hate_ the waiting, I've been trying to find ways to pass the time." Tali admitted.

"Come up with anything good?" Shepard asked, a hint of flirtatiousness in his voice.

Tali grabbed his hand, "Oh, I can think of a few things."

Tali stood up from the bed, and began undressing. She first removed her visor and helmet. Tali's gorgeous face was free from it's prison once again, and her luscious, black hair fell to her shoulders. Shepard knew that for as long as he lived, he would never take her stunning beauty for granted. Before Tali could continue, he pulled her back down to the bed. He wrapped her up as he fell backward, so she ended up on top of him. Shepard kissed her with as much passion as he could, letting this kiss show her how much he loved her. Tali happily reciprocated the kiss with just as much passion. Shepard ran his fingers through her hair, reveling in how soft it was. Their two tongues danced together, drawn together from the desire the two lovers had for each other.

When they parted for air, Tali practically tore off the rest of her suit. Shepard quickly removed his clothes, not wanting to spend one second longer separated from her than absolutely necessary. When the couple had shed their clothing, they fell back into the bed together. Both of them knew this could possibly be the last intimate experience they had together, so they made sure to show each other just how much immense and complete their love was. Their bond had connected the two on levels neither had imagined possible, two souls had truly become one. They explored every inch of each other's bodies, committing it all to memory should one of them not survive. The couple spent the next hour in pure ecstasy. After they had made love, Shepard and Tali were content to just lay in each other's embrace. Every so often they would share a kiss, or one would plant a kiss on the other's forehead or cheek. Sleep eventually claimed both Shepard and Tali.

* * *

Tali woke up, unsure of how long she had slept for. She looked over at Shepard, and saw he was still asleep. His chest was gently rising and falling with each breath, and his mouth was slightly parted.

 _He looks so peaceful when he sleeps now_. Tali observed.

Not long ago, Shepard would wake up in the middle of the night due to nightmares. The content of the nightmares had disturbed Tali, considering she, along with the rest of the ground team, would die in every one. She had considered telling Dr. Chakwas about his nightmares, he surely never would tell her himself. However, Shepard hadn't had a nightmare in quite some time, so Tali no longer thought anything of it. She gently got out of bed, careful not to wake her bondmate. She walked over to where the pieces of her suit lied, enjoying the feeling of the carpet on her bare feet.

As Tali picked up her boots, for some reason she was drawn to her knife. It had been passed down her family for generations, her father gave it to her before she left for her pilgrimage.

 _Unsheath it._ Harbinger's voice boomed inside her head.

 _What?! No!_ Tali protested.

She tried to speak, but found her mouth wouldn't cooperate. Against her will, Tali unsheathed the knife from her boot. The long, razor sharp blade glimmered in the light. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen it unsheathed, she had never needed to use it.

 _Walk over to the bed_. Harbinger commanded.

Tali tried to resist, but her legs disobeyed and carried her over to the bed.

 _Climb on top of Shepard and straddle him._

 _Get out of my head!_ Tali yelled internally.

She climbed on top of Shepard, who awoke when he felt her weight on top of him.

"Mmm, hey there, beautiful." Shepard greeted happily.

"Hey, _saera_." Tali greeted in return, a smile on her face.

Though the words were said in her voice, Tali had not been the one to speak them. Just like the rest of her physical body, Harbinger was in control of her voice.

 _John! You have to get away!_ Tali shouted.

It was no use, her thoughts remained inside her head.

"What are you doing?" Shepard asked playfully.

"I've got a surprise for you. Close your eyes." Tali said, her voice dripping with seduction.

Shepard obeyed, and smiled in anticipation.

 _Raise the knife above your head_.

 _No! Ancestors, help me!_ she pleaded.

Tali raised the knife high above her head, gripping it with two hands. To her horror, she could tell that she was smiling.

 _Drive it into his head._

 _Don't make me do this, please!_ Tali screamed.

With all her might, she plunged the knife down. The blade cut through his right eye, and embedded itself deep within his brain. Tali regained control of her body immediately after.

 _"No!_ " she cried out, tears streaming down her face.

Sobs wracked her body as she fell on top of Shepard. Tali hugged his lifeless body and begged for his forgiveness over and over.

"I'm sorry! _Keelah_ , I'm _so_ sorry!" Tali bawled. "Harbinger made me do it! I couldn't stop it!"

Suddenly, Shepard's whole body started to randomly twitch sharply. Tali quickly got off of him and sat nearby. She was in utter shock, that blow should've instantly killed him. Somehow he managed to sit himself up. Shepard turned his head to face her. Blood was pouring from his right eye, the blade still lodged inside his head.

"Ta… Tali…" he stuttered, still twitching sharply. "W… Why…"

The twitching and the slurred speech meant the knife had severely damaged the part of his brain controlling motor skills. Tali couldn't manage to say a single word. Her hands covered her mouth as tears continued to flow down her face. Not only had she stabbed the man she loved, but she watched as he struggled to cling to life. Tali couldn't take it anymore, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Tali shot up in the bed, still screaming as loud as she possibly could. Shepard was startled awake, and jumped out of the bed. He swiftly grabbed the Carnifex he kept on the nightstand and scanned the room for intruders. When Shepard found none, he rushed over to Tali to comfort her. He hugged her tightly and stroked her back.

"Shh. It's okay, Tali." he comforted. "I'm here, you're safe now."

Tali wrapped him up in her arms and cried into his chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes before she calmed down a bit.

"I dreamed that Harbinger took control of my body. I couldn't resist, and I… stabbed you with my knife." Tali explained, still crying.

"It's okay, it was just a nightmare. I'm fine, you didn't do anything." he assured her.

She still hugged him tightly when she fully calmed down.

"It was awful, John. _Keelah,_ it felt so _real._ " Tali said.

"I know what you mean. I had the same nightmare tonight I used to have months ago." Shepard admitted.

The couple didn't say more after that, opting to just hold each other instead.

* * *

 _Concurrently  
_ _Achilles Cell, Unknown Location_

"This is all that's left? _Two_ cells?" Damien asked, pointing a finger at the two cell leaders directly in front of him. He let out a whistle before continuing, "Wow, Harper _really_ fucked us over."

The leaders of the Apollo and Ares cells, along with their direct subordinates, had all gathered together in this room. The cells had been named according to their purpose; with the medical research cell being named after the Greek god of medicine, and the special operations cell being named after the Greek god of war.

"Alright, I guess this'll have to do. Since we were kept in the dark regarding any other cells, I have no idea who you two are." Damien continued. "Let's do some introductions. You, egghead, what's your name?"

The older man with the labcoat answered, "Dr. Vladimir Kuztenovich, head of Apollo medical research cell. I got my doctorate from the University of..."

He was interrupted by Damien raising a hand, and was clearly not happy about being cut off.

"Didn't ask for your life story, Vlad. And you?" Damien asked, pointing at the other man.

"Operative Sebastian Clark, head of Ares special operations cell."

"I thought all soldiers had Reaper tech put in them?" Damien asked.

"Special operations was exempt, sir. Only the rank and file soldiers got the Reaper tech, though they still were the vast majority." Clark explained. "We're all former N7s, the Illusive Man knew we didn't need any upgrades."

Damien nodded, Clark's answer made sense. He moved to address the entire crowd.

"As you have probably heard by now, Cronos Station has fallen. The Illusive Man is also M.I.A., so I'm assuming command of Cerberus." Damien stated.

"You just think you can take over? You said it yourself, the Illusive Man is only M.I.A." Kuztenovich protested. "No, my cell and I are still loyal to the Illusive Man…"

Damien had had enough of Kuztenovich's objection, and delivered a crushing punch to his face. The scientist fell to the ground, his nose bleeding heavily.

Damien turned to Clark, "How about you, you still loyal to the Illusive Man?"

Clark shook his head, "No, sir, I saw what the Reaper tech did to our soldiers. I also never agreed with controlling the Reapers."

Damien held out his Carnifex.

"Prove it. Kill him." he ordered, nodding in the direction of Kuztenovich.

Clark immediately took the pistol, walked over to the scientist, and fired two quick shots into his head.

"Good, you're my new lieutenant." Damien said. "Is anyone else loyal to the Illusive Man?"

Everyone else in the room shook their head.


	42. Chapter 42: Assault on Earth - Part One

**Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in updating, last week I was extremely busy with college. I was going to update on Tuesday, but all my spare time went to watching the Presidential election coverage. But, better late than never! Also, _Unbreakable Bond_ passed 30,000 views! Thanks to everyone who made that happen!**

* * *

Shepard again found himself in the cockpit of the _Normandy_ , standing next to Joker. They, along with the rest of the united galactic fleet, had just exited through the Sol relay. In a few minutes, the fleets would arrive at Earth. Shepard's expression was that of a calm, stoic leader. However, inside, he was experiencing a flurry of emotions. Glad to finally be heading back to Earth. Anxious to finally get on the ground. Uncertain of what resistance they would run into. Most of all, fear of defeat. Shepard knew their chances of success were slim. The galaxy had thrown in all their chips on this one gamble. He realized that this battle would determine the fate of the war. What scared him the most, however, was the fact that good people were going to die. That was an inevitability when fighting Reapers and their ground forces. Shepard just hoped that the losses would be kept at a minimum. It was a naive sentiment, the losses would in all likelihood be staggering.

"Alliance fleet reporting, turian fleet reporting, asari fleet reporting." Joker alerted, shaking Shepard from his thoughts. "Quarian fleet reporting, geth fleet reporting. All fleets reporting in, Commander."

Shepard looked at the LADAR scanners, and saw an innumerable amount of blips. They all practically blended together to form one giant blob on the screen. The largest naval fleet in the history of the galaxy had been assembled, with all species contributing every ship and soldier possible. The united fleet passed by Mars, it was time to ready all ships.

"This is it, everyone! Be ready on my signal." Shepard announced to the entire fleet.

Since the _Normandy_ was leading the charge, it made the most sense for Shepard to give the order to fire.

It was just then that the Reaper fleet broke defensive positions and prepared to engage. Shepard's heart sank when he realized just how many capital ships and destroyers there were. The fight had just gotten much harder. He watched the range meter that was tracking the distance between the the united fleet and the Reaper fleet intently, ready to give the order to fire as soon as they got within range. The meter beeped, indicating the fleet was within range.

"Fire!" Shepard ordered.

Immediately, every ship in the fleet fired its main cannons. He watched as the enormous first salvo sailed through the vacuum of space, barreling towards the Reapers. The volley crashed into the Reaper fleet. Shepard smirked as he saw a few Reapers destroyed instantly. Joker set a course for the nearest Reaper, and Shepard ordered the main cannons to be fired. The Thanix cannons fired two streams of superheated plasma that overloaded the Reaper's shield and punched a hole in it. Though the Reaper wasn't destroyed, it was significantly weakened and made easy prey for other ships.

"All ships, break off and engage the Reaper fleet. Pick your targets and work together." Shepard ordered.

He knew their ships wouldn't be able to go one-on-one with Reaper capital ships, they would get torn to shreds. By working together, hopefully they could overwhelm the Reapers. As the ships broke off and engaged, the united fleet suffered its first losses. Some of the more lightly armored frigates were sliced apart by the Reapers' lasers. Massive waves of fighters swooped in to engage the oculi, keeping them off the bombers as they made their approach. While a number of bombers were destroyed before they were able to drop their payload, the majority of them delivered direct hits on Reaper capital ships and destroyers. The battle didn't appear to be favoring either side, as losses were about equal for both forces. However, Sword fleet had completed its primary objective. The Reaper defensive lines had been broken, clearing a path for Hammer.

"All Hammer forces, break off and descend to Earth." Shepard ordered.

The _Normandy_ , along with all the other ships carrying ground forces, headed toward the planet. Shepard just hoped that Sword would be able to keep the Reaper fleet busy long enough for Hammer to reach the beam and for Shield to get the Crucible in place. The fate of the orbital battle was out of his hands, a feeling he didn't like. However, Shepard had faith Sword would get the job done. He gathered up the ground team, and they boarded the shuttle.

Their first objective was pretty straightforward. The Reapers had Hades anti-ship cannons on the ground that would tear Hammer fleet to shreds should they try to descend. Though the larger ships would make easy targets, shuttles were much harder prey. So, the _Normandy_ ground team along with a few strike forces would disable the cannons, allowing the rest of Hammer to deploy. Shepard and Tali sat next to each other, holding hands. Garrus and James sat on the other side. Few words were spoken on the ride to London, everyone quietly preparing themselves for what was coming.

"Approaching the LZ, Commander. Two minutes out." Cortez announced from the cockpit.

Everyone stood up and readied their weapons.

"Beginning descent, 30 seconds!" Cortez called out.

Shepard tried to move towards the door, but Tali grabbed his arm and stopped him. She pulled him in close, wrapping her arms around him. He did the same, and held her tightly. Neither knew how long they were going to survive once they landed. For all they knew, this might be their last chance to show their love for each other.

"I love you, John." Tali said, just above a whisper.

"I love you too, Tali." Shepard replied.

They reluctantly separated, and Shepard took his position by the door. No matter the mission, he had always been the first one in and the last one out. This was no different. The door opened, and they came under fire from Reaper ground forces immediately. The four jumped out of the shuttle, and returned fire. Shepard dropped a Cannibal as the shuttle took off behind him. Just as Cortez was about to fly away, several rounds impacted the shuttle. Shepard glanced up to see a Harvester swooping in, firing relentlessly at the shuttle.

"Cortez, Harvester inbound!" Shepard called out into the comms.

Cortez's voice came over the comms, "Shit, I see it! I'll try to outrun…"

His reply was cut off by the shuttle exploding into a massive fireball.

"Cortez!" Shepard yelled.

Blazing chunks of the shuttle rained down. The _Normandy_ had just suffered its first casualty of the day. The rest of the team looked up to see what had happened. They all knew the deaths most likely wouldn't end with Cortez. There was no time to mourn him, however. They were under heavy fire and had a mission to complete. The team pushed down their emotions, and pressed forward. The fighting was brutal, but eventually the team made it to their designated Hades cannon. Shepard pulled out his Cain, and lined up a shot. He pulled the trigger when it was fully charged, and the warhead sailed towards the cannon. Shepard scored a direct hit, and everyone watched as the cannon exploded and fell to the ground.

"Oh hell yeah!" James shouted.

Shepard couldn't help but smirk, impressed with the punch the Cain packed.

"This is Commander Shepard. Hades cannon neutralized, requesting extraction." he reported into the comms.

A voice with an English accent replied, "Roger that, Commander. Stay put, ETA five minutes."

Just after the voice had finished, the team heard the unmistakable shriek of a Banshee.

"We've got company!" Garrus announced.

Shepard took up a defensive position next to Tali, "Our ride is coming in five minutes, just hold out until then!"

For the four of them, it was the longest five minutes of their lives. It seemed like a never ending stream of Reaper ground forces was pouring into their location. They never panicked, though, four years of combat experience together had forged them into hardened veterans. Just when things were starting to get dicey, relief finally arrived.

"Commander Shepard, prepare for extraction." the same English voice stated.

A shuttle arrived at the scene, and touched down about 20 yards from their position.

"Let's go! We're leaving!" Shepard yelled to his team.

The three others turned and headed for the shuttle, while he continued firing while backing away. The shuttle door opened, and a few Alliance marines began providing covering fire. Taking that as his cue, Shepard turned and ran to the shuttle. The door closed behind him, everyone safely on board.

"Commander Shepard, I'm Major Coats. A pleasure to meet you." greeted the man who the voice on the comms belonged to, offering his hand.

Shepard shook Coats' hand, "Pleasure's all mine, Major. Thanks for picking us up."

Coats grinned, "Don't mention it. And just call me Coats, everyone else does."

Shepard simply nodded as a reply.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Commander." Anderson greeted.

Shepard had been so focused on Coats, he failed to notice the shuttle's other occupants.

He turned around, "Anderson? It's good to see you!"

The two friends shook hands.

"I knew you, and your team, wouldn't let me down." Anderson stated.

"How are we looking?" Shepard asked.

"So far so good. You and the rest of the strike teams took out all the Hades cannons." Anderson reported. "Now that they're down, the rest of Hammer can land. And then we make our push to the beam."

Coats interjected, "And not a moment too soon."

"What's left of the London resistance is holding a forward operating base. It's about 5 klicks from the beam, so we'll launch our assault from there." Anderson continued.

Shepard leaned close to Anderson, and spoke softly so the rest couldn't hear, "How are our chances?"

"I won't lie, it'll be a hell of a fight. The Reapers have a high concentration of ground forces all around the beam." Anderson answered, speaking in the same hushed tone. "But, with the rest of Hammer with us, I think we can pull it off. Have faith, Shepard, we'll get it done."

Shepard nodded, his spirits temporarily lifted.

"The entire galaxy united… too bad it took the Reapers to bring us together." Anderson said.

"Shepard united us. Without him, we'd all be fighting on our own." Tali posited.

Shepard just rubbed the back of his neck nervously, never one to seek praise or bask in the spotlight.

He was relieved when Coats changed the subject, "We're coming up on the FOB. It looks clear."

"Good, give the order for Hammer to descend." Anderson replied.

Thousands of ships, each carrying a multitude of soldiers, descended from orbit. Shuttles arrived like a swarm of locusts in and around the enormous FOB, dropping off soldiers from a variety of races. Resistance was light as the troops made their way to the FOB, though there were some casualties. When they arrived, they were corralled into separate areas by their commanding officers. Each unit was briefed on its objective, and the soldiers were given some time to prepare. Soon enough, they would be in the biggest fight of their lives.

* * *

 _Concurrently  
_ _Terminus Systems, Crescent Nebula, Tasale System_

Damien stepped out of the shower in his cabin, and dried himself off with a towel. He wrapped it around his waist and stepped over to the mirror. Damien ran a hand over his cheeks and chin, feeling some stubble beginning to grow. He decided to shave then, instead of putting it off for later. Once finished, Damien slicked back his jet black hair. He admired his haircut he had gotten a few days before in the mirror, impressed with the handiwork. It was the same fade haircut as always, shaved on the sides and back, while leaving the hair on top a few inches long. Damien brushed his teeth, flossed, and finished off with mouthwash. He wrapped up his morning routine by putting on his Cerberus uniform and strapping his Carnifex to his hip. Exiting his cabin, Damien made his way to the mess hall. The few crewmembers he passed stopped and saluted him, waiting until he passed to continue on their way. He never saluted back, a constant reminder to those he encountered that he was above them.

When he arrived at the mess hall, Damien grabbed his specially prepared breakfast, which was of a higher quality than what the rest of the crew got. He sat alone, which was exactly how he preferred it. Damien had no time for small talk, and didn't want to waste time giving off the impression that he liked anyone. Because, quite frankly, he didn't. To Damien, they were all pawns in his plan, tools that he would use to accomplish his goals. That's not to say he didn't value his crew. Of course he valued them, but as tools, not as people. Just as a craftsman wants to keep his tools in good condition, Damien also wanted his tools in good condition.

After finishing what he had to admit was a fine breakfast, he made his way to the frigate's CIC. It was older than most ships Damien had served on while with Cerberus, as most newer models were loaned out from Cronos station. Considering those were all destroyed, this was the best of what was left.

 _Just another kick in the balls from Jack Harper._ he mused.

After confirming with the helmsmen that they were on course, he decided to check on Clark. He was in the medbay, almost finished recovering from cybernetic enhancement surgery. It had taken some persuasion, and a few threats, to get Sebastian to agree to get the upgrades. Damien's plans for the future required the best of the best, and with cybernetic enhancements, his operatives would be the best of the best. Of the members of what was formerly known as the Ares special operations cell, Clark had held out the longest when it came to the surgery. Now that he had gone through with it, all the loose ends were tied up. Damien had known that Sebastian would cave eventually, because he had made it very clear to Sebastian, 'What I say goes'. What he wanted, he got. Always.

When he got to the medbay, there were two nurses currently attending to Clark. Dr. Prager was reading over his chart. As soon as they saw that it was Damien who had entered, the two nurses snapped to attention and saluted him.

"You're dismissed for now, ladies. You can come back in when I leave." he ordered.

They both responded with, "Yes, sir."

Relieved to not have to be in the same room as him, the two nurses quickly exited the medbay.

"How are you feeling, Clark?" Damien asked.

"I'd say I'm at about 90%. I'm still getting used to the upgrades, and my body is still a little sore all over." Clark responded. _Thanks to you, asshole_.

Damien looked annoyed, "How much longer do you need to recover?" _Jesus Christ, the upgrades I got a few years ago were much more extensive than his, and I didn't need this fucking long to recover._

Clark glared at Damien, "Just give me a day."

He was one of the few people who could get away with giving Damien that kind of attitude, because he was his right-hand man. Most others had ended up with a broken nose, or worse, depending on how pissed off Damien got. Clark got a look from Damien that said 'Don't push me'.

"Damien, you can't rush these things. He'll be ready soon." Prager interjected.

Damien relented, acknowledging Prager's expertise when it came to medical matters.

"I just wanted him for the mission coming up in a few hours. Can't you give him some painkillers or something?" he asked.

"I suppose I could, the only thing hindering Sebastian now is soreness and adjusting to the cybernetics." Prager answered.

Damien nodded, "Good, I want to see you in action, Clark. Think of it as a performance review, in all honesty it shouldn't take that long."

 _Performance review? No, this is more like 'you better be as good as you say your are'._ Sebastian thought. "I'll be ready."

"Then we're done here." Damien stated, and turned towards the door.

He subtly grabbed a thermometer off a nearby table, and whipped it at Clark like a throwing knife. Using his newly-enhanced reflexes, Sebastian was able to snatch it out of the air before it hit him.

Damien smirked, "I think you've adjusted to your upgrades just fine. Be ready in three hours." With that, he left the medbay.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Two quick things about Damien. First, I went back to Chapter 40 and changed his age to late twenties, as that age range fits better with the timeline I have planned. Second, I left his physical description in Chapter 40 and this chapter vague so that readers can fill in the blanks and decide for themselves what he looks like. I might have a canon description later on, more than just tall, muscular, white skin, and black hair. Let me know what you prefer; vague description so you can decide for yourselves or canon description?**


	43. Chapter 43: Assault on Earth - Part Two

**Author's Note: What's this? Two updates in two days? You aren't dreaming! I feel bad about my long absence so I'm making up for lost time. Enjoy!**

* * *

A barren wasteland. A city, once so full of life, now lied in ruins. The majority of the planet, in fact, looked about the same. Shepard couldn't help but sigh as he gazed upon London. He was standing in the FOB makeshift command center, waiting for Anderson and Coats to finalize the plan of attack. Aside from the frequent crack of sniper rifles, it was an oddly quiet scene before him. Just a year before, this area of London would've been bustling at this time of day. Commuters heading home from work, people heading to restaurants for dinner, families taking an evening walk. Now, nothing but death and destruction. It only served as another reminder of what had been lost during this war. And why they had to win. He was about to take out his sniper rifle and join in with the other snipers taking out targets when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Shepard turned around to see the hand belonged to Tali. The same smile crossed his face that always did whenever he saw her.

"It's almost time for the final push. Are you okay?" Tali asked him.

"I thought I'd be asking you that question." Shepard replied.

"John, I backed you when I was just a kid on her pilgrimage. I backed you when the _Normandy_ was a Cerberus ship." Tali stated. "Wherever you go, I'm with you."

Her hand slid down his arm until it met with his hand.

She gave his hand a squeeze, "And you haven't answered my question. Are you okay?"

Shepard sighed and looked out at London once again.

"It's hard to see Earth like this. You remember how you felt when you landed on Rannoch?" he asked. "Well, imagine it wasn't a story passed down by your people. Imagine you were just there a year ago, and now it's like this."

Tali rubbed his arm with her other hand.

"We'll make this right." she promised.

Tali pulled Shepard to a more private area of the command center.

"Do you remember what you said on Rannoch, right before you left on the shuttle?" she inquired.

Shepard smiled again.

"How could I forget, I made you a promise that day. I said that when we beat the Reapers, we'd spend the rest of our lives there." he recalled, remembering the moment perfectly, as if it had just happened. "I also said I was going to build you a house on the land you claimed. With the living room window facing the creek, just where you said it should be. I meant every word, and it's a promise I intend to keep."

Tali felt a lump in her throat growing, and she could only nod in response.

"I want… more time." she admitted a few moments later, barely containing her emotions.

Shepard pulled her in for a hug, and stroked her back.

Tali began to gently cry. The fear she had been holding inside the entire time had surfaced. Fear that they would fail, and the war would be lost. Or if they succeeded, fear that Shepard wouldn't survive the assault. Or even worse, fear that she wouldn't survive, and knowing the pain her death would cause him. Tali wasn't afraid to die, she was afraid that Shepard would have to live on without her. She knew that if that happened, he might never get over her death. For the two years that Shepard had been dead, Tali hadn't made any progress in moving on with her life. She knew that he would blame himself for not protecting her, and that guilt would eat him alive. That's what Tali feared most.

"I want more time, too. But whatever happens, just know that I love you, and I always will." Shepard comforted.

Tali nodded, "I know, and I will always love you too."

For a few more minutes, the two bondmates just held each other.

When it was time to disembark, Shepard gathered together the entire ground team. It was all hands on deck this time. Their new objective was to escort one of the numerous mobile Thanix missiles to the beam. From there, the artillery would neutralize the Reaper destroyer guarding the beam. Joining the ground team was a krogan platoon, a turian platoon, a quarian marine platoon, and three Makos in support. Shepard looked at the assembled _Normandy_ ground team, and saw nothing but courage and bravery. Each one knew the risks involved, but were ready and willing to sacrifice their lives for the success of the mission. He decided it was time for one last speech.

"This war has brought us pain, suffering, and loss. But it's also brought us together, as soldiers, allies, friends… _family_." Shepard told them. "This bond that ties us together is something the Reapers will _never_ understand. It's more powerful than any weapon, stronger than any ship, and it can't be taken or destroyed."

Everyone looked around at each other and smiled. They were a family now, and nothing would change that.

"The next few hours will decide the fate of everyone in the galaxy. Every father and mother, every son and daughter, and every unborn child." Shepard continued. "They're trusting us to win them their future. And we will _not_ fail."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Today, they would break the cycle.

"But take heart. Look around you, you're not in this fight alone." Shepard added. "We'll face our enemy together, and _together_ , we will defeat them!"

Cheers erupted from the team, clapping and pumping their fists.

"Today, the eyes of the entire galaxy will be upon us. From this day to the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered." Shepard quoted. "We happy few, we band of brothers… and sisters. For he or she today that sheds his or her blood with me shall be my brother or sister."

He crisply saluted the team, and they all returned the salute.

"It's been an honor serving with each and every one of you. I couldn't ask for a better team." Shepard praised. "Now, let's go win this war."

The team made their way to the staging area. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus climbed on top of one of the Makos for a ride. Kaidan, James, and Liara climbed on top of another. They looked up when they heard the roar of engines. The _Normandy_ , followed closely by a squadron of bombers, came screaming in. They bombarded the area just outside the FOB, clearing a path for the Hammer forces. Immediately after the airstrike, all the gates opened, and all the battlegroups raced out. The battle yells of soldiers from all the races drowned out the noise of the engine from the Mako Shepard was sitting on. That boosted his own morale, seeing such bravery and courage from these men and women. They had barely made it half a klick before running into resistance. Immediately after receiving fire, everyone jumped off their Mako and engaged the enemy.

It was tough, brutal fighting. They had to fight tooth and nail for every foot, every inch. Husks, Cannibals, Marauders, Banshees, Brutes, everything the Reapers had was being thrown at them. But the team never wavered, never gave up. Each one of them took the beating in stride, and pushed back twice as hard. To say Shepard was proud of his team was a monumental understatement. When the Harvesters brought in reinforcements, they pressed on. When all three Makos were destroyed, they pressed on. When most of their quarian, krogan, and turian allies had fallen, they pressed on. Over the next hour, they pushed through London until the Thanix missiles were in range.

As Shepard looked at the massive destroyer, thoughts of Tuchanka and Rannoch filled his head. This time, they were prepared. Another airstrike was called in, which staggered the destroyer just enough to make it vulnerable. While it was recovering, all the artillery units fired their Thanix missiles. Most scored a direct hit, creating a magnificent fireball as they exploded on contact. Cheers erupted from everywhere around them as the destroyer fell to the ground, dead. The Hammer forces regrouped at the foot of a small ridge. Over the ridge, the ground sloped down for about 200 yards. At the bottom of the slope was the beam. The losses suffered already were staggering. Only a small number of the original Hammer force remained, but it would be more than enough to open the Citadel arms. Snipers laid on top of the ridge, picking off the surprisingly small number of Reaper ground forces that remained between Hammer and the beam. While they cleared a path, the rest of Hammer worked to evacuate the wounded. Numerous ships, including the _Normandy_ , had landed behind the cover of the ridge for medevac.

Once the snipers radioed in that the path was clear, all Hammer forces were ordered to advance. While the medics stayed behind to finish the evacs, all the remaining soldiers and vehicles pushed forward. As soon as they started advancing, the unmistakable synthetic horn of a Reaper blared. A Reaper capital ship was descending from orbit, the six yellow eyes making its identity clear. Harbinger.

 _Oh... shit…_ Shepard thought.

Before Harbinger had even landed, it began slicing up the Hammer forces with its laser. Shepard turned around to see Garrus and Tali racing forward to his position. He waved them on, willing them to go faster. James, Kaidan, and Liara were still on the _Normandy_ , tending to the wounded. Just then, Harbinger fired another laser. Shepard thought it was going to connect with Garrus and Tali, but it passed harmlessly in front of them. Unfortunately, it made direct contact with a Mako, sending it flying end over end up into the air. The Mako came crashing down next to Garrus and Tali, engulfing them in an explosion.

Shepard's heart sunk as he watched the events transpire in front of him.

" _No_!" he cried out, pain clearly evident in his voice.

Shepard thought he had lost both the love of his life and his best friend. As the fire and smoke cleared he saw Garrus struggling to his feet. Tali was trying, and failing, to just get on her knees. She had been closer to the Mako, so she took the brunt of the explosion. Shepard thanked God just to see both of them still alive. He rushed over to them, and Garrus waved him off, indicating that Tali needed the help. Shepard slid next to her, gently helping her into a sitting position.

"J… John…" Tali stuttered, obviously dazed from the explosion.

"It's alright, Tali, I'm right here. Don't worry, you're going to be fine." he comforted.

Tali only nodded in response, her suit's medi-gel having not kicked in yet. Shepard checked her over, and found numerous suit breaches. Crimson blood was spilling out from her suit, though none of her injuries appeared life-threatening. Still, given Tali's immune system, she needed to be evacuated immediately. If she wasn't, the infection would kill her.

Shepard looked up, and saw that the _Normandy_ was still on the ground. The engines were flaring to life, indicating that Joker was preparing to leave.

"Hold on, Joker. I've got Tali and Garrus wounded, I'm bringing them to you." Shepard stated over the comms.

"Roger that, Commander. But make it fast, I need to leave _soon_." Joker replied.

Shepard and Garrus each slung one of Tali's arms over their shoulders, and the three moved towards the Normandy. Once they reached the ramp, Shepard handed Tali fully over to Garrus.

"Can you take her?" he asked.

"I'll get her to the medbay, Shepard, don't worry." Garrus answered.

Shepard could see blue blood seeping through Garrus' armor. He was thankful that Garrus was still able to help, despite being wounded himself. Shepard then turned to Tali.

"Okay, Tali, I gotta go. Dr. Chakwas and the medical staff will take care of you." he said. "I'll be back before you know it. I love you."

Shepard gave her a quick forehead tap before turning to leave.

The medi-gel must've kicked in, because Tali's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

"John… wait… I can't stay behind." Tali stated.

Shepard looked into her glowing eyes with concern, "Tali… _please_ … don't argue with me."

"Don't leave me behind." she begged.

He took a step closer to her, "I need you to make it out of here alive. Get back to Rannoch… build yourself a home."

Shepard took a hand and gently caressed where her cheek would be if her helmet was off. Tears were streaming down Tali's face, and the lump in her throat made it hard to speak.

"I _have_ a home." she corrected.

Shepard smiled a warm, loving smile. He slowly backed away, Tali's hand sliding down his arm until it grabbed ahold of his hand.

"I love you, _saera_. Come back to me." she pleaded.

Shepard gave her hand a squeeze, "I will, _saera_ , I _promise_. I love you too."

He then turned and began running up the ridge, towards the beam. Towards Harbinger.

As the _Normandy_ began to take off, the full realization of what was happening hit Tali. She was letting her bondmate run off into certain death, without her at his side.

"John, wait!" she called out, trying to break free from Garrus.

Shepard was already out of earshot, and Garrus was strong enough to prevent her from breaking free.

"Let go of me, you _bosh'tet_!" Tali screamed, struggling even harder to break free.

"No, Tali! You're hurt, we need to get you to the medbay!" Garrus retorted.

He eventually just wrapped his arms around her waist, and picked her up. Garrus walked backwards up the ramp, the pain from his own wounds becoming more evident. Tali kicked and thrashed about, trying anything to break free. She watched as Shepard ran over the ridge and disappeared from view. Tali believed it might be the last time she saw him alive.

" _No_!" she screamed, over and over.

Once Garrus made it into the cargo bay, he called over James, Kaidan, and Liara. The four of them restrained Tali and carried her to the medbay. When they arrived, Dr. Chakwas immediately administered an anesthetic to calm her down. Tali's world slowly faded to black.

* * *

 _Concurrently  
_ _Terminus Systems, Crescent Nebula, Tasale System_

Damien finished putting on his combat armor. Gone was the white paint that most Cerberus operative had on their armor. He had his armor, and all of his operatives' armor, painted completely black. The only colors that remained from the old armor was the Cerberus logos and both shoulders. He holstered his Carnifex at his right hip, and grabbed his Mattock assault rifle. Taking the elevator down to the CIC, Damien met up with Clark and the six other special forces operatives at the airlock.

"So what's the mission?" Sebastian asked.

"We got intel stating an asari cruiser is carrying valuable cargo from Illium. We're going to intercept it before it reaches the mass relay." Damien stated.

The other operatives looked surprised.

One of them, Haruki Tanaka, asked, "How do you plan on disabling a cruiser with a frigate?"

"Simple, we're not going to disable it. We're currently broadcasting a distress signal." Damien explained. "The asari won't pass up a chance to put their good nature on display, so they'll offer assistance. When they dock with our frigate, we storm their ship and take control."

Everyone nodded in approval.

"I'll bite, what's the cargo?" Clark inquired.

Damien shrugged, "Don't know, all the intel said was it's valuable."

Once the cruiser appeared on their scanners, the plan was set in motion.

Soon enough, the cruiser made contact, "This is captain Saatea Calinis, do you require assistance?"

"Oh, thank God! Apparently half the crew was indoctrinated, they attacked as soon as we exited the relay." Damien responded. "Most of my crew is dead. Also, our mass effect drive was disabled, and we don't have the supplies or expertise to fix it."

There were a few moments of silence before a response came.

"Don't worry, we can provide transport back to Illium. We'll be docking with you shortly." Calinis responded.

The operatives readied their weapons as they heard the cruiser's docking tube extending. The airlock opened, revealing two asari and one turian, who were very surprised to see eight heavily armed men. Before they could react, Damien and the rest of the operatives opened fire. They fell quickly, and within seconds the team had crossed the docking tube and was in the asari cruiser.

Warning sirens blared throughout the ship, alerting everyone to the intruders. Damien split the team up, sending six operatives down to secure the cargo hold. Clark and himself would capture the bridge.

"Alright, Clark, take point. Let's see what you're made of." Damien said.

 _You wanna see me in action? Alright then, I'll show you what I can do_. Sebastian thought.

Resistance was light, but Damien was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Clark was able to neutralize the defenders. Before long they had reached the bridge. Clark hacked the door while Damien prepared a concussion grenade. As soon as the door opened, he tossed the grenade inside. When the grenade detonated, the two operatives moved inside. They quickly put down the bridge's occupants, eight asari, three turians, and two salarians. Realizing her situation, Calinis surrendered.

She noticed the logos on their combat armor, "Cerberus? I thought you guys were destroyed."

Calinis got a swift rifle butt to the face from Clark as an answer. Her nose was clearly broken, and purple blood flooded from her nose and mouth.

"Shut up!" Damien barked.

Tanaka radioed in, "Sir, you should come down to the cargo bay. You probably want to see this."

Damien responded affirmatively, then looked to Clark, "Take her with us."

Sebastian obliged, grabbing Calinis by the collar and practically dragging her to the elevator, denying her the chance to get on her feet. When they reached the cargo bay, they found out what the cargo actually was. Cots filled the cargo bay, the cruiser was carrying refugees from the more war torn areas of Illium. They were mainly asari, but most of them had alien spouses and children.

"So much for valuable cargo." Clark observed.

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how much Terminus slavers will pay for all these refugees?" Damien asked. "We'll make a nice profit off them. An easy score."

Damien walked over to get a better look at the refugees, who had been herded into a circle by the other operatives. They were all sitting on the floor, fear in their eyes. Mothers were clinging on to crying children, and husbands were trying to shield their families.

"Good job boys, mission success. Just one more thing." Damien announced. "Clark, kill the captain."

"Why? Shouldn't we sell her too?" Sebastian asked.

Damien brushed off the suggestion, "Because I said so, _do it_."

Clark hesitated, which Damien noticed.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you gained a conscience now. You killed Kuztenovich in cold-blood." he pointed out.

 _Kuztenovich was a demented bastard, I knew the sick experiments he performed on his subjects. But Calinis is innocent, she surrendered._ Sebastian mentally retorted.

He again hesitated.

"You know what, I'm running out of patience." Damien said.

He glanced over the crowd, before kneeling down next to a young asari girl who couldn't have been more than six years old in human equivalency.

"Well, aren't you a cute little thing? Come with me, sweetie." Damien stated. "Sorry mom, I need to borrow your daughter for a little bit. Tanaka, help me out."

He pried the young girl from her mother, who began to cry. Tanaka stopped the girl's human father from intervening by pinning him forcefully to the ground, while another operative by the name of Miguel Hernandez pointed his assault rifle at the mother.

Damien walked over to where Calinis was kneeling before Clark, and set the girl down.

"Your choice Clark, kill the captain or the girl dies." he said.

"Mommy!" the girl cried out.

Her asari mother tried to run over, "Get away from her you son of a bitch."

Damien yelled over to Hernandez, "Keep her there and shut her up!"

"Daddy!" the girl shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Damien waited on Clark to make a move, but he still hesitated.

"Jesus, Clark, are you going to make me count to five?" he asked, "Fine, I will. One."

He pulled out his Carnifex and fired a shot which impacted about a foot away from the girl.

She shrieked in fear, "Mommy!"

The girl's mother yelled more obscenities at Damien.

"Two." Damien counted.

Another shot, this time a few inches closer to the girl. More screams came from the girl, while her mother and father begged for Damien to stop.

"Three." Damien continued.

Same thing as before, the shot impacting even closer to the girl.

Clark was experiencing sensory overload. The gunshots, the counting, the screaming from the young girl, the frantic pleading from her parents, all clouded his mind.

Damien counted again, "Four."

This time the shot grazed the girl's side. She cried out in pain. Clark finally reacted, leveling his assault rifle with Calinis' head. He pulled the trigger, and purple blood and brain matter scattered onto the floor.

Damien smiled, "See? That wasn't so hard."

He released the asari girl, who quickly ran back over to her parents.

"Alright, boys, we're done here. Load up our new cargo and prepare to head out." Damien ordered.

Clark just stood there, a blank stare on his face. He shook himself free from his trance after a few moments, and helped lead the refugees onto their frigate.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I understand that BioWare was going for an emotional goodbye between Shep and the love interest, but their execution was sloppy. What never made sense to me was that Shep called in the Normandy to the middle of a battlefield. Also, Harbinger would've easily torn the _Normandy_ to shreds wither when it was on the ground or it was taking off. To fix this, I had the _Normandy_ already having landed before Harbinger arrived, and was protected behind the ridge when Harbinger landed.**


	44. Chapter 44: Making Things Right

"I love you, _saera_. Come back to me." Tali pleaded.

Shepard gave her hand a squeeze, "I will, _saera_ , I _promise_. I love you too."

He let go of her hand, turned around, and began running up the ridge. Hundreds of other soldiers were dashing up with him, determined to get to the beam. Whatever Makos Hammer had left roared to life, speeding ahead of the massive wave of bodies. Shepard glanced behind him, and smiled to see the _Normandy_ taking off and flying away safely. Tali was safe now, in the caring hands of Dr. Chakwas and the medical staff. Garrus would be able to get his wounds tended to as well. Unfortunately, in the confusion that was caused by Harbinger's appearance, James, Kaidan, and Liara had been unable to get off the _Normandy_. They had been helping get the wounded to the medbay, and then had to practically drag Tali there as well. Joker had taken off as soon as it was confirmed that Tali and Garrus were aboard, not wanting to remain a sitting duck any longer than necessary.

Shepard would've preferred to have at least some of his ground team with him, but knowing they were safe for now was a good enough consolation. As he bounded over the ridge, the sight he saw compelled him to say a quick prayer.

 _Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for You are with me._ Shepard mentally recited.

The scene before him could only be described as the valley of the shadow of death itself. Harbinger's massive presence loomed behind the beam 200 yards away. It was wreaking havoc with it's laser, disintegrating anything before it by cutting wide swaths across the slope. Entire companies of soldiers were wiped out in seconds. Overturned and burning Makos littered the field, along with the crashed carcasses of a few fighters and bombers. The most eerie thing about the scene was the lack of bodies. Harbinger's laser left no trace of the person it killed, their life simply wiped from existence.

Despite the terrifying display that faced him, Shepard continued forward. Despite the tremendous losses being suffered, Hammer was actually making progress to the beam. The irony of the situation was the closer the soldiers came to the beam, the easier it was for Harbinger to kill them. Shepard soon found himself near the front of the charge, all the soldiers that had originally started out in front of him had been killed. He saw Harbinger's laser slicing towards him, but he was spared as an unfortunate Mako was caught in between him and the laser. The force of the Mako's explosion propelled him a few feet to the side, but he was otherwise unharmed. As Shepard struggled to his feet, he saw that there were no other Hammer forces within 30 yards of him. In that moment, it was just him and Harbinger. Six yellow eyes appeared to be looking right at him, as its laser fired again. Shepard closed his eyes as he accepted his inevitable death.

 _I'm sorry, Tali…_ he thought as he felt the heat of the beam engulf him.

* * *

"My God, our entire force was decimated. Fall back to the buildings!" the voice of Coats said over the comms.

Another voice ordered, "Hammer's been decimated. All forces, retreat!"

Shepard groggily opened his eyes, trying to shake the fatigue that had fallen upon him. He originally thought he was dead, but the aches and pains in his body convinced him otherwise. Once Shepard's eyes adjusted to the light, he found that he was lying on his back, close to the beam. He slowly rolled himself onto his stomach, and managed to get into a kneeling position. Shepard checked himself over, and discovered that most of his body armor had been melted off. Only charred bits of his armor and the spandex suit worn underneath remained. He surveyed the area around him, and found no signs of life. Even Harbinger had left, presumably to rejoin the fight above Earth.

Shepard didn't see his Mattock assault rifle near him, so he reached to his back and hips for his other weapons. Finding them all missing as well, he started to look for them. Shepard didn't have to look far, finding a Carnifex on the ground a few yards away. He pushed himself to his feet, paused for a moment to regain his balance, and trudged over towards it. Picking it up, Shepard found it was in working order, and even had a fresh thermal clip loaded.

 _It's not what I would've preferred, but it'll do._ he thought.

Shepard figured that in his condition, he would easily be killed if he ran into any significant resistance, regardless of what weapon he had. Now armed, he shuffled off towards the beam. Shepard encountered three husks and one Marauder on his way, dispatched them all with one shot each. The Marauder, however, had managed to shoot him in the stomach. Shepard stumbled to the ground before picking himself back up.

 _Shit… only two shots left_. he noticed, cursing whoever designed the Carnifex to have such a low thermal capacity.

The path clear, Shepard hobbled into the beam.

He was instantly transported to the Citadel, and found himself in an unknown location. It looked like a large tunnel, basked in an eerie dim, red light. Numerous bodies of dead humans littered the pathway, and keepers were busy sorting and transporting them to God knows where. The ride had not been a smooth one, Shepard had been practically thrown into the tunnel. He lied on the ground for about a minute or so, gathering the strength to get up. The bullet wound made any movement excruciatingly painful. Shepard slowly picked himself up, but before he started moving, someone else was transported to the Citadel through the beam.

He instantly recognized the person, "Anderson?"

"Shepard! Thought I saw someone make it to the beam." Anderson greeted. "Any idea where we are?"

Shepard shook his head, "No clue, none of this looks familiar. We can only go one way, though, so we might as well move out."

Anderson hadn't sustained any major injuries, so he slung Shepard's arm over this shoulder to help support his weight. The two men slowly made their way through the tunnels, the few keepers present ignoring them. The vast amount of piles of bodies was quite unnerving.

"Why do you think the Reapers were sending bodies up here?" Anderson asked.

"I'm not sure, but I have a theory. I think they might be trying to build another human Reaper." Shepard answered. "Round up people on Earth, and send them up here to be processed. They were doing the same thing on the Collector base."

"Makes sense, goddamn abominations." Anderson agreed.

Shortly after, the two reached the end of the tunnel. A hatch slid open as they neared it, and the duo stepped out. They found themselves on the Presidium, not far from the Citadel Tower.

"That must've been a keeper tunnel we were in. Makes sense that Cerberus used those in their coup attempt, those must run all along the Citadel." Anderson pointed out. "We're not far from the Citadel Tower. We can open the arms from the Council chambers."

The two soldiers arrived in the chambers, and Anderson set Shepard down while he began to work on opening the arms. Shepard sat with his back to Anderson, keeping watch over the entrance should any Reaper ground forces arrive.

"How we doing, Anderson?" he called out over his shoulder.

There was no response.

"Anderson?" Shepard called out again.

He struggled to his feet, and saw Anderson still standing at the console. Shepard began shuffling towards him, when Anderson slowly turned around.

"Shepard… I can't move…" he struggled to say.

Shepard then heard footsteps off to his right, and tried to raise his Carnifex. He too found that he couldn't move as well.

"I warned you, Shepard. _Control_ is the means to survival." condescended the unmistakable voice of the Illusive Man. "Control of the Reapers… and control of you."

The Illusive Man walked into Shepard's field of vision, looking drastically different from the last time Shepard had seen him. The skin on his neck and lower face was missing, revealing implanted Reaper tech. The haunting resemblance to Saren was striking.

"They're controlling _you_." Anderson shot back.

The Illusive Man grinned and shook his head, "I don't think so, Admiral."

"You're playing with things you don't understand. With power you shouldn't be able to use." Shepard asserted.

"I… don't believe that. If we can control it, why shouldn't it be ours?" The Illusive Man posited. "I've dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers. And I know with certainty, the Crucible will allow me to control them."

"Listen to yourself, you're indoctrinated!" Anderson claimed.

The Illusive Man shook his head vigorously, "No! I took what I wanted from them, made it my own!"

"Bullshit, they took what they wanted from _you_!" Shepard retorted.

" _I'm_ in control!" the Illusive Man shouted.

He curled his hand into a fist, a strange energy glowing around it. Against his will, Shepard immediately raised his gun and fired a round into Anderson's chest. Anderson grunted in pain, but the Illusive Man's control prevented him from falling to the ground.

"You son of a bitch!" Shepard shouted.

The Illusive Man grinned again, "Now you see, I'm in control. And I can control the Reapers as well."

"What if… you're wrong? If we… destroy the Reapers… this ends today." Anderson spoke through the pain. "But if… you're wrong…"

"But I _can_!" The Illusive Man cut him off, using a tone that sounded like persuasion.

 _He's trying to convince himself as much as he's trying to convince us._ Shepard thought. "Are you willing to bet humanity's existence on it?"

The Illusive Man brought his hands to his face, "I… _know_ … it will work."

He began pacing around rapidly. Knowing he had one shot left, Shepard waited for the Illusive Man to step in his pistol's line of fire. If he did, Shepard would summon all his strength and try to fire.

"Look at you two, so self-righteous! Do you think power like this comes easy?" the Illusive Man asked. "There are sacrifices…"

"You've sacrificed everything." Shepard stated.

"Shepard, I… I only wanted to protect humanity. The Crucible can control them, I _know_ it can!" the Illusive Man reasserted. "I just…"

Shepard interrupted, "It's _not_ too late. Let us go, and we'll do the rest."

The Illusive Man pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, "I… can't do that, Commander."

"Of course… you can't! They won't let you, they… own you now." Anderson claimed.

"This is all part of the Reapers' plan, don't you understand?" Shepard asked. "They have the Citadel. They have us fighting each other instead of them."

The Illusive Man was panicking, "I just need to…"

Shepard didn't let him finish, "You've done _exactly_ what the Reapers wanted! You're _still_ doing it because you're their pawn, because they control you!"

"I… they're too strong!" the Illusive Man admitted.

He finally realized the truth, that he was indoctrinated.

"You're stronger, don't let them control you. Break their hold, don't let them win." Shepard urged.

The Illusive Man shook his head solemnly, "I tried, Shepard."

He exerted his control over Shepard one last time, forcing Shepard to aim the Carnifex at his head. The Illusive Man, through controlling Shepard, pulled the trigger. His lifeless body slumped to the floor, and the two soldiers regained control over themselves.

Anderson clutched at his chest, and fell to the floor. Shepard dropped to one knee, his stomach wound sending waves of pain through his body. He managed to right himself, and trudged over to Anderson.

He waved Shepard off, "Get the… arms open."

Shepard obliged, and completed the sequence to open the Citadel's arms. He turned around, and saw that Anderson had propped himself up against a wall. Shepard shuffled over and sat down next to him. From where they were sitting, they could see the arms opening. With the arms now open, Shield fleet moved to dock the Crucible to the Citadel. What remained of Sword formed a defensive perimeter around the Crucible, preventing the Reapers from destroying it. Shepard and Anderson both felt a tremor when the Crucible successfully docked.

Shepard turned to face Anderson, "We did it."

"Yes… we did." Anderson said with a smile.

The two gazed out the giant chamber windows, and saw Earth below them.

"It's… quite a view." Anderson noted.

Shepard chuckled softly, "Best seats in the house."

Anderson's eyes closed, and his head slumped forward suddenly.

"Anderson, stay with me. We're almost through this." Shepard pleaded.

Anderson spoke with his eyes closed, his voice a faint whisper now, "You did good, son. You did… good. I'm proud… of you…"

His whole body slumped forward as his final breath left his body.

"Anderson?" Shepard asked.

He hung his head, knowing his friend and mentor was dead. This war had claimed another person very close to Shepard, the one who had been a father figure to him for so many years. He took solace in knowing that the last thing Anderson saw and felt were the Citadel arms opening and the Crucible docking. He died knowing they had won. Anderson also made sure that his last words had been to tell Shepard that he was proud of him. And now, he was at peace. Shepard glanced down at the hand clutching his stomach wound, and saw it was covered in blood. He figured he would soon join Anderson in the afterlife. However, his mission wasn't over yet.

"Commander, the Crucible is primed and ready to fire. You should see the command on the console now." Hackett said over the comms.

Shepard glanced up, and saw the console had indeed changed. It now displayed the prompt to fire the Crucible, just how they had planned.

"On it." he responded.

He tried to get up, but fell back down. Shepard decided to crawl there, but passed out before he could make it.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had been out, but he came to when the floor panel he was on began to ascend. It took him to where the Crucible and Citadel connected. He slowly managed to stand up, and saw a glowing, white orb approach him.

"Shepard, it appears you organics have completed the Crucible." came the thundering voice of Harbinger.

Shepard grinned, "Yes, we have. And we will defeat you."

"Indeed, organics have truly evolved past us. You have proven the cycle to be obsolete." Harbinger stated. "Not only have you proved that organics and synthetics can peacefully coexist, but you have reached the pinnacle of existence. We were the dominant forms of life in the universe, but your victory proves otherwise."

"You and the rest of the Reapers constantly preached how organics were inferior, why the change?" Shepard asked.

"Our goal was to guide organic evolution to its finish. Our goal was also to prevent the inevitable destruction of organic life by synthetics." Harbinger explained. "However, completing the Crucible and creating peace with synthetics means our goals have been achieved. You have evolved past us, and prevented your own destruction at the hands of synthetics. The cycle is now obsolete."

Shepard couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here was Harbinger, the leader of the Reapers, basically acknowledging defeat. The Reapers would allow organics to live now that they had reached the pinnacle of their evolution.

"So now what?" he asked.

"You have proven the cycle to be obsolete. Now, you must choose how to break it." Harbinger answered. "Before you are three options. You may choose to destroy us, control us, or merge synthetic and organic life."

It went on to explain Shepard's option in detail. Destroying the Crucible regulator would trigger it to fire, causing it to fire improperly, destroying the Reapers. He could also choose to upload his consciousness to the Crucible, which would replace the Reapers' consciousness with his own when it fired. Shepard could also choose to merge his DNA with the Crucible, which would merge all synthetic and organic life in the galaxy when it fired. However, there were caveats to all three choices. With every choice, Shepard would die. Destroying the regulator would cause the Crucible to explode after firing, killing Shepard in the blast. Both the control and synthesis option would destroy his physical body in the process.

Something felt off. Shepard couldn't fully accept that the Reapers were admitting defeat. Not only that, but he couldn't believe that Harbinger was giving him permission to determine how the cycle would be broken. Even setting all that aside, Shepard still couldn't decide what option he would pick. None of this felt right. Shepard remembered all the way back to Virmire, when Rana Thanoptis explained indoctrination to him.

 _"Sooner or later, you obey the commands."_

He also recalled his conversation with the Illusive Man just minutes before.

 _"Do you think power like this comes easy?" the Illusive Man asked. "There are sacrifices…"_

All of a sudden, everything clicked. Everything about this was an indoctrination attempt by Harbinger. It was giving Shepard commands, commands to 'break the cycle'. Harbinger wanted Shepard to obey its wishes. Also, with every option, Shepard would be sacrificing his life. A sacrifice on behalf of the Reapers.

"No, I won't do it. This is all an attempt at indoctrination." Shepard defied. "All those options probably damaged the Crucible beyond repair. I refuse to play your game."

"So be it, Shepard!" Harbinger roared furiously. Then it tried something it had never done to an unindoctrinated organic before, "Assuming direct control."

* * *

A tremendous, painful throbbing in Shepard's head jolted him awake. He was still lying on the floor of the Council Chambers. Everything he had just experienced had been an illusion created by Harbinger in order to indoctrinate him. And he had beaten Harbinger. However, he was still a few feet away from the console. A few feet from firing the Crucible. A few feet away from victory. Harbinger alone had almost broken through Shield fleet, and would soon be able to destroy the Crucible itself.

"Assuming direct control." Harbinger boomed again.

Another wave of throbbing pain gripped his head. The pain was so great that Shepard could barely move, and he screamed in agony. When the pain subsided, he dragged himself closer to the base of the console.

" _Assuming direct control_." Harbinger persisted.

The wave of pain stopped Shepard right where he was. He was unsure how much more he could take. Shepard had to end this now. He reached up, and was almost able to touch the interface.

" _Assuming direct control!"_ Harbinger thundered.

With every ounce of energy Shepard had left, he propelled himself upward. His hand interacted with the console, triggering the Crucible.

After he hit the console, all the pain stopped. Harbinger, along with the rest of the Reapers, realized what was happening and began to flee. The supposed unstoppable, supreme forms of life in the universe, fled in the face of defeat.

"All fleets, Commander Shepard has armed the Crucible. Disengage and head to the rendezvous point." Hackett ordered over the comms. "I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here."

Shepard fell back down to the floor, and laid on his back. He watched as the ships that were in his view slipped into FTL travel, headed towards the Sol relay. Only the Reapers remained in the system, unsure of what to do or where to go. The Council chambers was basked in intense golden light as a sphere of energy spread out from the Crucible. It quickly spread out until it covered the entire Sol system, completely neutralizing every Reaper capital ship, destroyer, and ground force in its path. Afterward, a enormous beam of the same golden energy shot out towards the Sol relay. The same energy almost instantaneously covered every system in the entire galaxy, neutralizing every single Reaper signature.

Shepard smiled, reveling in the galaxy's victory over the Reapers.

 _We did it._ he thought.

Shepard's smile quickly faded, however, as he glanced down at his hand holding his stomach wound. Judging by how much blood was on his hands, clothing, and floor, he assumed he wouldn't last much longer. Darkness slowly began to take over his sight. He tried to shake the darkness, tried to stay awake. Now was not the time to die. Not after just achieving victory. Shepard had promised he'd come back to Tali.

 _No! Please, God, it can't end like this! I have to get back to her! I promised to build her a house on Rannoch, I promised to give her a family!_ he pleaded mentally.

His thoughts remained with her as the darkness fully took over his vision.

 _I'm sorry, Tali_. Shepard internally apologized.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And with that, _Unbreakable Bond_ comes to an end. It was a awesome journey, and I want to thank everyone who read my story! However, Shepard and Tali's story is far from over. To help make the transition between stories easier, I have already uploaded the first chapter of the sequel, _Unbreakable Bond: Promises_. You can either find it by going to my profile, or by searching for it. I hope each and every one of you continues on reading my work!**


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